Summer Haze
by FlamingDranzer
Summary: You love me, you just don't know it yet. A wise man once told me that love was blind. But the same wise man also told me that denial is never the solution. LeonxYuffie
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts of any of its characters.**

**Warnings: None.**

**Author's Note: I really, really wanted to write a LeonxYuffie. And I wanted to get some practice with describing people, places, and objects. But most of all, I love the LeonxYuffie pairing. I can't resist it. It's just too cute! Hope you enjoy!**

**Summer Haze**

**Prologue**

It was the type of day that one longed for. The morning had started out wonderfully, with the sun shining brightly in the sapphire sky. Dew had covered the blades of grass and anything else it could reach. The thin fog lifted as the sun rose higher into the sky. In the afternoon, white puffy clouds had began to form, but fortunately, none had turned dark gray in color. The sun began to sink into the horizon as the sky turned multiple shades of all sorts of colors, to pink to purple to orange. The people of Radiant Garden had begun to retreat to their houses and apartments to have a nice, warm dinner and to relax after the day's work. It was the Radiant Garden routine.

"Hey, Squall, can you pass the ketchup?" asks a female with short black hair and dark brown eyes. The man's eyes, stormy gray in color, meet with the female's pair before the man replies.

"It's Leon," he says as his eyes narrow at the odd mixture of macoroni and cheese with ketchup splattered ketchup all over.

"Right, _Leon_," she replies with a hint a sarcasm at the very end. A young woman with emerald green eyes and soft brown hair giggles.

"What's so funny?" asks Leon as he swallows another bite of macoroni and cheese.  
"Nothing, nothing..." the woman replies, still giggling.

Leon, finished with his meal, places his plate, utensils and drinking glass in the brand new dishwasher. He shakes his head with irritation as Yuffie, the female with the brown eyes and black hair, asks yet another odd question that only she would ever think of. Come to think of it, perhaps she was visiting a website to get all of the questions. The world may never know.

Soon, Leon finds the two women sitting by either side of him on the couch. The woman with the brown hair sits on his left, and Yuffie sits on his right. The two pass small talk, ignoring the irritation that Leon is displaying.  
"I hope Cloud's alright," the woman with emerald green eyes says quietly.  
"I know Strife," Leon says, looking directly into the woman's eyes with his own. "He'll be fine, Aerith."  
"Yeah," Yuffie agrees. Her voices sounds almost too cheery for the conversation's serious topic. "It's not like he got turned into a Heartless or anything."  
Aerith gasps and her eyes widen slightly. Leon can see the fear within their depths.

"Yuffie!" he snaps, losing a small amount of self-control.  
"What?" Yuffie replies, shrugging. "We all know that he's stronger than that, right, Aerith?"

Aerith nods, and Leon only glares at Yuffie.  
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**Author's Note: Like it said under "Summer Haze", this is the prologue. I'd really, really appreciate it if you left a review by clicking that little button down in the corner. It really gives an author an inspiration to keep writing. **


	2. Blue Blazes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.**

**Warnings: None**

**Author's Note: I just noticed something. I can't even type up a chapter without having a dictionary right next to the computer screen. Maybe it's because I have to use Wordpad so I have to check spelling and grammar myself.**

**Summer Haze**

**Chapter 1: Blue Blazes**

Sometimes, in life, the most unexpected things will happen. Perhaps you're pregnant and you weren't planning on being so, or perhaps you win the lottery. Most of the time, life is unexpected, but we still try and predict the future. But nothing will ever be one hundred percent accurate. Even on the world Radiant Garden, plenty of events happen just out of the blue...

The flames grow higher and hotter with every second. To those watching the horrific event, the flames seem to reach the midnight sky. People scream and shout in terror as the flames seem to grow even more. The full moon does nothing to stop the flames; it can only offer its pale moonlight to the people. Unfortunately, people are solaced more by the sunlight. The sunrise is still many hours away.

Leon, who is returning to the house he shared with his friends, overhears people carrying on about a burning house. Faintly, he hears people scream and shout in the distance. He walks towards the burning house, a contrast to the people running around him to get to the scene. Leon wonders why people are making such a big deal out of one fire. Fires happen all of the time, but it seems that when something as large as a house starts to burn, people begin to go ballistic.

The flames of multiple colors reflect in his stormy gray eyes. The glow from the large fire seems to accentuate the scar between the two squalls. He sighs as he rubs the scar, watching the fire with little interest. Suddenly, his hand falls to his side. He sighs gently, staring at the house. He remembered building that house, and it was finished recently. It was built for a family that had lost everything due to the Heartless, and they had no way to make money so they could buy a house. Leon offered to build one, and they accepted the offer. Now, before his very eyes, that house that had brought joy to the family was being destroyed.

In a way, he thought, he is able to relate the burning house to his own life. No one's life is perfect. It is impossible to achieve total perfection, like it is impossible to make a machine one hundred percent efficient due to friction. Leon had tried to perfect himself, only to fail horribly and make himself feel more depressed than ever before. In an attempt to make himself feel better, he would once again try to obtain perfection. Once again, he would fail, and he would fall further into depression. It is a vicious cycle that cannot be destroyed or interrupted by any means.

Leon had learned about that vicious cycle early on in his life, when he was only a teenager and Radiant Garden fell to the Heartless. He was unable to protect the ones he cared for, and to this day, the wound in his heart is still bleeding. He had failed to protect his former best friend, Cloud Strife. Fortunately, Cloud had come back after Leon and the others had arrived at Radiant Garden some time ago. Cloud was not angry at Leon, but Leon continues to believe that Cloud truly is angry with him. Leon can become so stubborn and refuse to even spare a thought about other's opinions. Perhaps it was in his nature. Perhaps it was a result of his vicious cycle.

The vicious cycle had continued to haunt him well past his teenage years. It was one of the many reasons as to why Leon continued to fight the Heartless' and Nobodies' increasing numbers. He knew that the uphill battle would kill him, in the end. Secretly, he is glad that he will meet his end in battle, like a brave warrior that died protecting what they care about most. He is the warrior of the restoration committee of Radiant Garden. He will fight to protect Radiant Garden.

Leon wipes his forehead with a gloved hand as he feels something moist fall onto it. He wipes his forehead a few more times before realizing that storm clouds are releasing rain. The firefighters are still having trouble putting out the blaze, he notices. The drizzle soon turns into a storm, but the people of Radiant Garden remain by the burning house, as if their presence is able to inspire the brave firefighters to continue fighting the blaze. Leon sighs heavily as his hair begins to stick to his head and neck. The raindrops run down his leather attire. With the assistance of mother nature's life-giving rain, the blaze is finally defeated. The corners of Leon's lips twitch slightly, trying to form a smile. Before anyone can see it, Leon turns away and heads back to his house.

He enters the house quietly, his eye twitching as the door squeaks loudly as it shuts. He removes his old boots and places them by the rest of the shoes. He remembers the day that Aerith, Yuffie, Cid and himself bought the cozy house. It was somewhat small, and somewhat cramped, but it wasn't horribly tiny.

Upon entering the house, if you look on the left, there is a door to Aerith and Cid's bedroom. In the blueprints of the house, it was called the master bedroom. Directly across from that door is another one that leads to a bathroom. If you continue walking down the hallway, you will encounter another door on your left. This leads to Leon and Yuffie's bedroom. If you head to the right, the only direction left for you to go, you encounter the dining room and living room area. The dining room has a large table with four matching chairs, just enough for every member of the household. Aerith had told Leon that if Tifa and Cloud return from their travels, then they would simply buy another table. In the living room, there was nothing more than two plaid couches and an end table. If you walk past the living room area, you will encounter a small kitchen. It is furnished with nothing else other than a sink, refrigerator and oven. Another door is by the dining room area. This one leads to a small backyard which Aerith uses as a garden.

Leon enters the bedroom he shares with Yuffie. She is sprawled on top of the queen sized bed, nearly covering the entire surface of it. Leon changes into his sleepwear quickly, and then gently pushes her over and lies on top of the covers. It is summer out, and Leon always finds himself too hot under the covers. Unfortunately, when winter arrives, and Leon needs the covers, he will constantly find himself stealing the covers from Yuffie. Leon sighs as he lays on his side, content with the cozy house and warm bed.  
---------

His arm flies over his eyes as the sunlight hits his sensitive eyelids. He groans and sits up, removing his muscular arm from his face. He blinks in a desperate attempt to remove the last traces of sleep, and more importantly, to remove the want to go back to the land of dreams. His pupils narrow as the sunlight continues to shine upon them. Leon places his feet on the cold wooden floor, and upon glancing at the alarm clock, he finds that it is seven in the morning.

Clad in only a sleeveless black shirt and baggy ebony sweatpants, Leon leaves the humid bedroom and heads down the hallway, towards the entrance of the house. On his way to the door, he turns on the air conditioning. Aerith had insisted that the air conditioning be used only during the daytime, and only when there were people in the house. At night, everyone would have to open the windows in their bedrooms to stay cool. Every morning, Leon would go to turn on the air conditioning. It was routine.

He opens the door and steps outside, inhaling the fresh air. It is getting very humid out, Leon noted. During summer, the sun would rise at seven in the morning, and soon afterwards, the humidity and temperature would start to rise. Leon bends over and picks up the newspaper that was lying by the door. He heads back inside and retreats to the kitchen, setting the newspaper on the dining room table. After he finishes making his coffee, he pours himself a cup of the said liquid and sits at the table, like he does every morning.

Minutes later, Leon hears the squeaking of a door's hinges. The corners of his lips turn downwards slightly as he sees who is approaching him. She wears her classic navy blue and white headband with her black tanktop and short khaki shorts. She is wearing her normal knee high black socks. Her short black hair is messy from sleep, but her eyes seem to shine as if it was the best rest she had ever had.

"Good morning, Squally-poo!" she exclaims brightly, sitting down in the chair next to Leon.

"It's Leon," he mutters in reply, rolling his eyes.  
"You look like an old man, reading that newspaper," Yuffie says, her warm dark brown eyes full of happiness.  
"...Whatever," comes the expected response.  
"So, Squally-poo..." Yuffie begins, but is cut off by Leon standing up suddenly. She shivers as she feels the fury radiating off of his body.

"It's _Leon_," he says, his anger finally unveiled. "_Leon_," he says again, but quieter this time, trying not to wake the other occupants of the household up.

He grabs Yuffie by the front of her ebony tanktop and holds her up so their eyes meet in a class of stormy gray and dark brown. "_Leon. _You call me anything else other than Leon, and you'll be getting a not so pleasant surprise," he says in a dangerously low tone.

Yuffie shivers in fear. Her eyes show it, but Leon doesn't notice. She suddenly finds herself on the ground. She watches helplessly as Leon stomps out of the house.

"Geez...he's not a morning person," she says sadly. She tries to laugh it off, but she can't. _Why?_

Yuffie stands up, brushing off her clothes. She hears gentle steps enter the dining room, and instantly she knows that they belong to Aerith. Aerith was always, and forever will be, a morning person. She always dresses herself in her normal outfit before she leaves her bedroom. Aerith's brown hair is already pulled into a braid, being held back by a red ribbon. She was wearing her normal button-up pink dress with nine silver bracelets on her left arm. Yuffie smiles at the young woman, momentarily forgetting her sadness.

"Good morning, Aerith," she says, taking a seat at the dining room table.

"Good morning, Yuffie," Aerith replies with a smile.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Yuffie asks.

"French toast," Aerith replies cheerfully.

---------

Yuffie sighs as she sits on the edge of the cliff, tossing a small stone into the valley below. A gentle breeze blows through her hair, scattering the ebony strands. She brushes a few stray pieces out of her eyes before sighing again.

"Today sucked," she says, tossing another stone down into the deep valley. "If it wasn't for _Leon_, today would've been wonderful!"

She tosses another stone, this one larger than the others. She smiles softly as she hears it collide with the other rocks.  
"Gawd, men are such idiots! I just called him his real name, not some fake one. What kind of name is Leon, anyway?" she says, her voice growing louder with anger.  
"And of course, Cloud, the one man that can possibly understand Squally, is gone doing God-Knows-What!" she shouts, tossing the rocks were more force.

She stands up suddenly, her arms trembling with anger. She walks in the direction of her home, kicking every stray stone she could find.

---------

Leon frowns as he gazes at the landscape from the safety of his favorite place, the bailey. The night is beautiful. Millions of stars decorate the night sky. Leon finds the beautiful scenery is unable to lift his mood. He hasn't returned home since the incident with Yuffie this morning. He finds that his thoughts are focused on the incident that had occurred this morning. The more he thinks about it, the more details he remembers, such as the fear in Yuffie's dark brown eyes. It is guilt that prevents Leon from returning home.

It is normal for Leon to feel guilt. He had failed to protect his home and loved ones so many years ago. Although though his world had returned, those he had loved are still gone. They are only mere memories to Leon. They will no longer eat, sleep, or drink. They will no longer talk and laugh, walk and speak, fight and cry. He had realized that when he was but a teenager, but for some reason, he was never able to accept the fact that they are gone forever.

Others had said numerous times that he had trouble accepting reality. He always denied that he had a problem. Others had said numerous times that he just needed someone special in his life, but Leon never agreed with that. He was done with having special people in his life. They had always died or gotten injured due to his weaknesses. Those weaknesses render him unable to protect the people whom he cares about. Regardless, Leon cannot help but care for the members of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. He cares for sweet Aerith, former chain-smoker Cid, silent Cloud, and even Tifa. He knows he doesn't include Yuffie in the Restoration Committee Staff.

He believes she is too immature, too childish, to understand the gravity of the situations that the committee goes through every day. He believes she is unable to physically and mentally handle the stress that comes along with being a member. Yet, she tags alone every day. It is almost as if she's eager to show that she can handle the stress and seriousness. Leon refuses to make her an official member of the committee. She's simply not ready yet, he reasons with himself. She's too young, too childish. She has trouble caring for herself, so why should she be caring for others in the first place? She cannot cook well, she can't sew her clothing...

If he doesn't care for Yuffie, why is he feeling guilt? He tries to tell himself that Yuffie had brought on the events of the morning, but deep down, Leon knows that's he's the cause. He was the one who snapped first. Yuffie was only trying to have some fun, and Leon lost all control of his anger. He wonders if Yuffie will forever be afraid of him. Usually, when she encounters a frightening or unpleasant experience, she avoids it as much as she can. Does this mean that Yuffie will be avoiding Leon for now on? Leon's frown grows smaller. He could enjoy the solitude. Or so he believes...

---------------

**Author's Note: I felt as though this was a little bit on the short side, but it was fun to write. So I don't have a problem with it, surprisingly. **


	3. Wings of a Butterfly

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. **

**Warnings: None  
**

**Author's Note: The chapter title was inspired by HIM's song "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly", which I was listening to when I was thinking about how I should start the chapter. Reason why I chose that song for the title is because Yuffie is innocent like a butterfly, but they both can become tainted. Other than that, nothing really for me to say, other than enjoy the chapter!**

**Summer Haze**

**Chapter 2: Wings of a Butterfly**

There are some people who reside in Radiant Garden who call the darkness a sin. They refer to the Heartless and Nobodies as sinful creatures. They tell their children about how men and women had sinned repeatedly, only to be turned into the creatures that terrorized the world. However, there are some people that welcome the darkness. They see the darkness as another method of achieving happiness, though if darkness is truly the right path is not known. The light hates the darkness and shuns it. There are some who even walk a path that borders between light and darkness. They walk a path of twilight. They receive both the best and worst of light and darkness.

People are easily tainted. There are some people that consider sinning another way of being tainted. People easily stray from the path and find themselves alone and lonely. When they stray from the paths, the only friend they will ever be able to find is the darkness.

---------

Thin lips twist into a frown. Leon carefully walks over to his bed, careful not to make a sound. It is the middle of the night. Leon had expected to find Yuffie in bed, safe and sound, but his heart skips a beat when he realizes that she is yet to return.

"Whatever," Leon mutters under his breath as he opens a window.

Almost instantly, Leon feels the cooler air from outside caress his face and blow through his hair. The wind howls like a wild beast outside as dark storm clouds block out all view of the moon. A small scrap of paper flies tumbles across the street as the wind blows. The world is quiet.

Leon lays on the bed, on top of the covers like he always does in the summer. Though he is hot and sweating, he cannot figure out why he continues to shiver. He knows something is wrong, although he cannot figure out what it could possibly be. After pondering about the cause for a long while, he brushes it off. He tells himself that he feels something is wrong because of the storm he expects to hit tonight.

As his eyelids become heavy and shut on their own accord, Leon briefly wonders where Yuffie is. As he begins to ponder about her location, sleep takes over his body.

---------

Yuffie sighs again. She knows she should be returning home soon. She knows that daybreak is coming soon, within an hour or so. She knows that come daybreak, the household will suddenly spring to life and everyone will wonder where she has gone. She stands up, brushing the dirt particles off of her short khaki shorts. She stumbles a bit as she stands up, but she manages to recover her balance.

She hesitates before walking. She's hesitant to return home.

"It's all Leon's fault! I want to be home right now but I don't feel like seeing him right now! Gawd, why is Leon such a jerk!" Yuffie shouts with renewed anger, kicking a large stone. It flies through the air at a high rate of speed and cracks as it hits a larger, harder rock.

She doesn't take a step forward. She continues to stand motionless. She's struggling to control her anger; her arms and fists are shaking from her efforts to prevent the emotion from escaping. A moodswing suddenly hits her like a ton of bricks, and she finds herself on her knees, sobbing like a child.

Her tears fall down her cheeks and to the dry and dusty ground. She hears footsteps from behind her. She hastily wipes the tears off of her cheeks and stands up, turning around to face the human.

Her brown eyes widen in fear as she stares at the tall figure before her. Her knees shake as she tries to hold herself up. Her pupils widen in terror.

His silver hair shines in the moonlight. A large wing with ebony feathers pulls Yuffie towards Sephiroth. She stumbles as she tries to fight the strength of the wing. Her heart skips a beat as she finds herself in Sephiroth's muscular arms.

"S-Sephiroth..." she stutters, fear causing her voice to shake.

"Don't be afraid," Sephiroth whispers, looking into Yuffie's brown eyes. "When you have the darkness with you, you're safe."

"No! You're wrong!" Yuffie yells, struggling to escape Sephiroth's grasp.

"It is you...that is wrong. For you see, darkness can give one powers. They are greater than you can imagine. Not everyone who allows darkness into their heart will become possessed by it."

"..." Yuffie stops struggling as she ponders about Sephiroth's words. Leon had taught her that the darkness was bad, and that, eventually, you would become consumed by it. However, Leon had lied to Yuffie several times, from little things such as where babies come from, to large things such as what had happened to her parents. Yuffie had been in despair when Leon had told her the truth. Perhaps Leon wasn't being truthful when he told her about the darkness?

"The darkness isn't that bad. Leon and your friends are deceiving you. You must be blind to not notice," Sephiroth says in a soft voice, trying to coax her into believing his lies.

"How...do you know about Leon?" Yuffie asks. Her voice is quiet, almost inaudiable.

"You have a crush on him, don't you?" Sephiroth asks, ignoring Yuffie's question. "Yet he doesn't return your love. He believes that you are too weak."

"...That can't be..." Yuffie whispers into Sephiroth's chest. She feels hot tears tumble down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls.

"Do not cry. Come to the darkness. It will give you powers, and ultimately, Leon's love. I will help you gain unimaginable power...but only if you wish for it."

"You're...not joking?" Yuffie asks.

Sephiroth was a respected figure in Radiant Garden, before the Heartless attacked. Sephiroth had fought the Heartless with his Masamune blade. Ultimately, he was absorbed by the darkness, and no one other than Cloud heard from him. Cloud had always had a rivalry with Sephiroth, but Yuffie sometimes thinks that Cloud uses the darkness as an excuse to continue to battle Sephiroth.

"No. I wouldn't joke about something of this nature...it _is_ a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all. If you don't want the power, then I will be departing," Sephiroth says, wiping away the tears on Yuffie's cheeks.

Yuffie swallows hard, gulping loudly. She sighs before announcing her decision.

"I wish...for dark powers..."  
---------

Leon finds himself panting. He hears his heartbeat in his ears. Sweat covers his body like a second skin. Leon wipes the sticky sweat off of his forehead before sighing.

It was a terrible dream. A fire had covered the planet's surface as a large meteor fell from the heavens. Volcanoes erupted, spewing forth black volcanic ash that caused some citizens of Radiant Garden to suffocate. Water evaporated as the meteor heated up the surface of the planet.

As the meteor fell from the sky, Leon was standing in the summit of a large mountain. White, angelic feathers swirled around his Gunblade as he swung it at the meteor. Pure energy erupted from the blade and shattered the meteor. He dropped his Gunblade in shock at his power. He felt a light weight in his arms. He observed the teenager's figure and realized that it was Yuffie who lay in his arms.

She was radically different. She wore black boots with a thick, high heel. She wore a tight black t-shirt with crimson splatters that vaguely resembled blood with baggy black cargo pants that were held up by a studded belt. Black half finger gloves stopped abruptly halfway up her forearm. Her trademark headband was missing; her hair was much limper than normal. Her eyes were open, though the pupils were so small that Leon could only see her eyes' new color - golden.

Suddenly, she had sprung back to life and wrapped her tiny hands around Leon's neck. Leon's supply of oxygen was shrinking. He was pinned to the ground, his muscles weak from being robbed of oxygen. He shivered as he felt the cool blade of a knife break the skin on his neck.

He had woken up, frightened. The dream was a nightmare.

He closes his eyes, which seem to be even more lifeless than normal. He feels as though something is terribly amiss, although he cannot place his finger on what. He has a gut feeling that tells him that something is going to go horribly, horribly wrong.

He clenches his fists in anger.  
---------------

**Author's Note: Meh...this chapter was sort of short and choppy. Not something I'm proud of. I just wanted to introduce Sephiroth and add a little bit to the plot. If you don't understand why Yuffie ultimately joined Sephiroth, it was because she realized that Leon had lied to her about so many things that her trust in him wavered, and Sephiroth was also an idol of sorts before Radiant Garden fell years ago. Yuffie hasn't interacted with Sephiroth since, so she can only assume that he is still the same, although it is obvious that he's not. **


	4. Return

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH or any of its characters.**

**Warnings: Language (mostly from Cid)**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the crappy-ness of the last chapter. This chapter is a lot better and well written. For some reason, writing in present-tense is difficult for me, which is why I chose to write the story in present tense.**

**Summer Haze**

**Chapter 3: Return**

Silence. It was unfamiliar in the house. There was usually someone, usually Yuffie, making a whole bunch of racket. Today is different. Though all members, save one, are home, the house is quiet.

"I wonder where Yuffie is..." Aerith whispers as she places dishes, glasses and eating utensils upon the table's surface.

Though Leon and Cid are sitting at the table, listening to Aerith speak, they remain silent. There are no words to be said.

"I dunno," Cid says after a long silence. "But I don't like it. The house is way too fucking quiet without the brat here. It's driving me nuts."

"Cid!" Aerith snaps. "Please don't cuss in the house!"

"Not like brat's here to hear it. So I can say whatever the hell I want."

Aerith sighs before walking into the kitchen to retrieve the lasagna from the oven. As she opens the oven, the scent drifts into the dining area and causes Leon's mouth to water.

There is a thick tension in the air. It seems to choke the life out of the residents of the household. The tension drives them insane, causing them to act in unpredictable ways. Frustration is born and is taken out upon each other.

As much as he tries not to, Leon finds himself worrying over the whereabouts of the young ninja. Yuffie has not been seen for over three days. Leon had went to the local police station and asked if Yuffie was arrested, but they told him that no one with that name had entered the station or been arrested. Leon had also checked their Gummi Ship storage area, but her ship was untouched. No ships were missing. It is almost as if she disappeared off the face of the world.

Leon is positive that she hasn't been kidnapped. She isn't that weak; she would fight until she was able to escape. Because of her small body, nearly everyone underestimates her power. Leon knows that she is strong, and that her strength is growing every day. He knows that Yuffie would not have run away from home. Even if she had, she would have been back within a day or two, tops.

The Heartless haven't killed her, either. No dead or injured bodies have been found lately, mostly because the Heartless seemed to be depleting in numbers, along with the Nobodies. Leon is baffled by her sudden disappearance. For every reason he can think of for her disappearance, he finds a reason as to why it couldn't be true.

Aerith, since Yuffie's disappearance, has been becoming quieter as the days go by. She is clearly worried about Yuffie. Yuffie's disappearance only adds to the weight that Cloud's departure from Radiant Garden caused her. Cid had become quieter, but also seemed to be more angry than normal.

Cid was like a father and uncle to every member of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. Cid was always there when someone needed help and solace. He had even quit smoking cigarettes after Aerith and Yuffie had begged him to stop years ago. Cid, quite possibly, has the biggest heart that Leon has ever seen.

Cloud has not returned. Leon wondered if Cloud had died in the struggle against the darkness in his heart. But he knew Cloud wasn't that weak. Cloud was one of the strongest people he knew, and he knew that Cloud would never succumb to the darkness. Though his heart is filled with it, Leon knew that Cloud would soon find his light.

It is almost painfully obvious who Cloud's source of light would be. She was kind and gentle, always willing to help anyone in need. Aerith. She was one of his best friends. Cloud sometimes needed someone to listen, and Aerith always offered, giving advice when he asked for it. Leon knew her heart wasn't pure - only the Princesses of Heart had pure hearts - but he knew that the darkness lurking in its depths was a tiny amount. Aerith could share her light with Cloud; after all, the light practically radiated off of her body.

The sound of someone knocking upon the door echoes within the rooms of the tiny house. The house's silence causes the new sound to seem impossibly loud. Leon sets down his newspaper; Cid places another toothpick into his mouth. Aerith, frowning at the two men, gracefully walked to the door. Leon heard the door open, followed by a loud gasp, and then a shriek of joy.

"Cloud!" she shrieked, throwing herself into the man's arms. The blond haired man wrapped his muscular arms around her, pulling her close. He was clad in a navy blue tank-top with only one shoulder armor. There was a large ebony sleeve covering his one arm, although he had gloves on both hands. Black cargo pants hid part of ebony combat boots.

Cloud finally releases Aerith, stepping into the tiny house. She smiles at him with happy tears trailing down her face. Cloud smiles back; though it is tiny, it seems to be as large as the universe itself to those looking for it. Respectfully, Cloud bends over and removes his combat boots, placing them by the rest of the household's shoes. Leon realizes he can hardly hear Cloud's footsteps.

Stormy gray meets with crystal blue, and Leon finds himself smiling. He hears the toothpick fall from Cid's mouth and hit the table. It is a quiet sound, yet it seems much louder than it really is.

"It's nice to see you again," Cloud says quietly. It isn't directed towards anyone in particular, but rather everyone belonging to the household.

"Where's Yuffie?" Cloud asks, looking around.

"She's gone," Leon states coldly.

"That explains why the house is so quiet," Cloud replies, sitting next to Leon at the table. "I thought she would have been back by now."

"You saw her?" Aerith asks.

"Yeah," Cloud replies, in a casual tone.

"Where!?" Leon demanded. Despite his efforts, he feels his anger grow.

"At the coliseum," Cloud says.

"Colosseum?" Leon asks, surprised. "Why was she there?"

"I'm not sure," Cloud replies. "I tried talking to her, but she ignored me. Did something happen?"

"Cloud, Yuffie ran away," Aerith says quietly, closing her eyes as she breathes deeply, trying to calm her emotions. "We haven't seen her. We don't know where she went, or why."

"How could she get to the coliseum?" Leon asks. "Her ship is still here."

"That's odd," Cloud remarks. "She can't teleport, can she?"

"If she could, she never did before," Leon says, beginning to fall into thought.

"Well, she _is_ a ninja. Or claimed to be one," Cloud replies.

"Can ninjas even teleport?" Leon asks.

"Beats me."

Leon slapped himself in the forehead. Despite Cloud's absence, he was still the same old person that he always was. In a way, he seemed happier than before.

Frustrated with himself, Leon walks away from the table and turns on the radio. Sweet music comes out of the speakers and fills the house, breaking the silence.

"What now?" Aerith asks gently, watching Leon sit back down at his spot at the table.

"Beats me," Leon replies. "I don't have the answers for everything."

"Maybe so," Aerith responds. Her voice is quiet. "But, you still have your heart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cid asks.

"Even if we can't use logic to find out which way to go, we still have our hearts. Maybe our hearts can show us the way."

"Sounds like a load of bull."

"Maybe it is," Aerith admits. "But it hasn't failed us yet."

---------------

**Author's Note: Main reason why I hate school: no time to write fanfiction. I'm glad that I finally finished this chapter, though. Hopefully it makes up for the last one.**


	5. Attack with Pesticide

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. I do own this plot, however.**

**Warnings: Use of alcohol**

**Author's Note: School has really been cutting into my writing time. Well, I have been writing...but it was all essays!**

**Summer Haze**  
**Chapter 5: Attack with Pesticide**

Though the moon was shining brilliantly in the ebony sky, and the gentle breeze stirring up feelings of tranquility, there seems to be an atmosphere of unrest and anxiousness hanging above the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. The night is serene, so what could possibly cause these confusing feelings to surface in the members' hearts?

Perhaps those feelings arose due to Leon's absence from the world. Currently, Leon is at the colisseum, desperately searching for his beloved Yuffie. Whether or not he succeeds in his quest will be unknown to the members of this restoration committee until Leon returns...hopefully, with Yuffie by his side.

Cloud shivers for an unknown reason. Unconsciously, he inches his hand closer to the handle of his sword, his way of reassuring himself. Aerith notices this, and cautiously, she stares at Cloud with curious eyes, analyzing his actions. As she stares at him, she can't help but notice that her heartbeat begins to race, causing her face to turn a light shade of pink.

"I dunno why y'all so anxious," Cid mutters, taking a sip of beer as he sits down on a comfortable recliner. "Leon'll be back soon, with the little brat with 'em."

"I don't know how you can be so confident," Cloud remarks. "The darkness makes even the simplest things impossible."

"It's true..." Aerith whispers, bringing her hands to her chest solemnly. "If the darkness wasn't here, this world could be so much different than what it is now. At least the darkness gives us something to look forward to...a brighter future."

"Quit being so emo!" Cid shouts, causing Cloud and Aerith to look at him in confusion. Never before has Cid used slang. "Leon'll be back before you know it."

'He shouldn't be drinking so much,' Cloud thinks, observing Cid place the now-empty can of beer on the end table. 'He must be more stressed than he lets on.'

"What's that?" Aerith asks as a loud explosion rattles every house in the small town.

"I don't know," Cloud admits. "But, it doesn't sound good."

"Maybe it's those Heartless again," Cid mutters, stomping his foot. "The damn foolish things."

"...Don't jinx us," Cloud says under his breath, walking out of the Gummi Ship garage. Aerith looks at Cid for a moment before following Cloud's footsteps.

Aerith bites her lip nervously as she observes the large amount of Heartless swarming Radiant Garden. Normally, this many Heartless would hardly frighten her, but with Leon and Yuffie's absence, she knows that this battle will be the bloodiest in years.

Cloud notices the fear in her emerald green eyes, and cautiously, he places his hand on her shoulder. She glances up at him, understanding the unspoken message. For a moment, her eyes wander down to the handle of his sword, and she knows that a battle is now unavoidable. If the mighty Cloud has drawn his sword, a fierce battle always followed.

Thunder crackles in the distance as lightening splits the sky into two. The fierce wind howls, forcing trash and debris to flutter in the air helplessly. As the moon retreats behind dark storm clouds, the world goes dark. No longer is the sense of sight useful. If one cannot rely on their ears instead of their eyes, they would meet a certain death at the claws of the Heartless.

Cloud intently listens for any sign of an enemy's attempt at attacking, but the crackling thunder makes the action much more difficult than he expected. He walks backwards, towards Aerith, as if to protect her. She smiles softly, her pink lips twisting upwards. "I'll be alright," Aerith says gently. "It's _you_ that I'm worried about."

"Don't be," Cloud replies, his body tensing up from the fear of an unexpected ambush. "I'll be fine."

For a second, the lightening lights up the world just long enough for Cloud to realize that a small pack of Heartless is rapidly approaching them. As the Heartless draw closer, Cloud realizes that they really don't blend in with the darkness of their surroundings. Nothing could be as dark and evil as the Heartless.

Swinging his wide sword wildly, he ignored the minor scratches the Heartless pack inflicted upon him. Minor scratches weren't a cause for concern; it were the deep gashes that were a threat. The sound of the Heartless's dying hiss satisfied him, as it always had. He had always enjoyed hearing the last hiss of a Heartless's life.

"There's not too many here," Cloud notices.

"I hope there's not many in the other sections of town," Aerith replies.

"Aerith, stay here. I can handle myself," Cloud says, surprising Aerith with his words. "If you come with me, you'll get hurt. If I fall in battle, I need someone to take my place. You're the only one who can do that. Squall and Yuffie are gone. You're the only one left."

"Cloud, you can't go by yourself!" Aerith protests.

"If we both fall in battle, with no one for our back-up, the world will be consumed by the Heartless again," Cloud retorts.

"...I don't want to leave you, but we can't abandon our planet," Aerith says quietly, defeated. "I'll stay here."

"Thank you," Cloud smiles, barely noticable in the darkness. The darkness was so great, Aerith didn't see him leaving her.

---------

"I can't believe this. So many Heartless..." Cloud mutters, panting heavily to catch his breath. "And if this is an omen of things to come...we're done for."

"Perhaps that's why your last name is 'Strife,'" a deep, dark voice says in the darkness, relying on the shadows to hide its owner. "Nomen est omen. A name is an omen. Strife isn't a good omen."

Cloud narrows his blue eyes, waiting for the figure to emerge from the shadows. Luckily, the clouds blocking out the pale moonlight disappeared, leaving the shadowy figure palely illuminated.

Cloud didn't have to look at the figure for two seconds before he knew who it was. The long silver hair was a dead giveaway, as was the extremely long sword hanging from his belt. The bits of metal on his outfit glinted in the moonlight, as did his hair, giving him a ghostly appearance.

"Sephiroth," Cloud growls, grasping at the handle of his sword.

"We meet again," Sephiroth chuckles, walking towards Cloud.

"Why are you here? You're supposed to be dead!" Cloud shouts, glaring at the silver-haired man.

"The powers of darkness can do much more than you can ever imagine," Sephiroth says simply, smirking at the blond-haired man.

A moment of silence passes as a gentle breeze caresses their bodies. Abruptly, Sephiroth speaks again. "I'm surprised you haven't questioned me about the ninja's whereabouts."

"Yuffie?" Cloud asks, his voice showing no surprise. "So, you're the one who took her."

"You're much wiser than you look."

"Where is Yuffie? Tell me," Cloud demanded, readying his sword for battle.

"In a castle," Sephiroth says. "A castle of my creation, a castle of pure darkness."

"And where would this castle be?" Cloud asks, hoping to get more information out of the one-winged angel.

"...That, I cannot tell," Sephiroth smirks, a wing covered with black feathers emerging from his back and wrapping around his body.

Cloud stares, dumbfounded, thinking about the information Sephiroth provided. Why would Sephiroth give up such valuable information so casually? There was no doubt in his mind that Sephiroth was plotting a delicate trap, using Yuffie as the bait. Cloud knew that if he didn't save her, he would blame himself for the rest of his life.

Yuffie was, or at least seemed to be, an innocent individual. There are some people that always want to corrupt others' innocence, and Cloud couldn't even stand to think of Yuffie's innocence being destroyed by that one-winged angel. If Cloud had a choice, he would have his own innocence back. Growing up, he had been so oblivious to the world around him, and sometimes he longed for that feeling again.

Sighing, with his head hanging low, he begins to slowly walk back to Merlin's house, where he was certain that Aerith was waiting for his return.

---------------

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long, long wait, but I updated with two chapters. **


	6. The Wall Between

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, but I own the plot.

Warnings: None.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait; I've been waiting. Without any further delay, here is chapter 6 of "Summer Haze."

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 6: The Wall Between**

It was raining on the day that Leon returned to Radiant Garden. No, it wasn't just a drizzle but rather a full-blown storm, complete with thunder and lightening and frightening gusts of wind. Leon frowned as he exited the Gummi Ship garage. It wasn't the rain that caused him annoyance, but rather the fact that Yuffie wasn't even in the Colosseum. Had Cloud lied to him? No, the brooding blond-haired man would never lie on purpose, especially about his friends.

Leon dragged his feet on the way home, dispirited and tired. But, most of all, he was hopeless. Although he had been denying it for the last Hyne-Knows-How-Many-Years of his life, the feelings within his heart made him truly believe that he had fallen in love with Yuffie, the hyper ninja. Sure, he had admitted his feelings to Aerith, but that doesn't mean he was being truthful to her. Or so he thought.

He cleared all thoughts from his head as he entered their small home. He kneeled over to remove his boots, untying the strings with graceful, but calloused, fingers. He was aware that someone was watching him. By the time his boots were off and were sitting neatly by the door, no one was watching him any longer. With a small frown, he silently walked towards the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, he was greeted by several faces - Aerith, Cloud, Cid, and...there was no Yuffie.

Both Aerith and Cid muttered a dispirited greeting. Cloud, always somewhat different, nodded. Leon returned the greetings with a nod of his own. Aerith's emerald eyes were full of hope when Leon entered the kitchen. Now, the hope has died, and her eyes seem almost...empty. The look didn't suit the always optimistic woman.

"Hey," Leon said quietly, cautiously, as if not to thicken the tension that hung in the air like a thick fog.

"You didn't find her..." Aerith whispered, mostly to herself than to the others.

"Sorry," Leon whispered in response, shrugging his shoulders. His eyes hid the shame that he felt in his heart.

"Just have to keep lookin'," Cid shrugged, casting his eyes downwards, towards the floor.

Leon noticed that Cloud hadn't said a single word but tried to shrug it off. After all, the hyperactive ninja was like a sister to Cloud, who was probably consumed with despair.

"Excuse me," Aerith said suddenly, standing up and then gracefully walking to the small kitchen. Carefully, she opened the refrigerator and took some food items from it and then repeated the process with several cupboards. Leon stoically watched as she went about preparing dinner.

Quietly, Leon took a seat at the dining room table next to the brooding Cloud. He quickly glanced over at the blond before saying, "Sorry. She wasn't there."

"She wasn't?" Cloud asked, trying to hide the shock from his voice. He had hoped, prayed, that Yuffie would be at the Colosseum, safe and sound, perhaps even participating in some tournaments. Alas, she was not there. It seemed to be the luck of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. They would have to find something, be told of where that thing is, but then once getting there, the thing isn't.

"I could've sworn...I saw her there," Cloud said quietly, shifting his glance towards the table, taking in every detail he possibly could. "My eyes don't lie."

"You don't lie, either," Leon added with a slight smirk. He tried to lighten the mood, but it seemed that only Yuffie had that talent.

"I -" Cloud started, but he was cut off by Aerith setting an empty plate in front of him. Stoically, he looked up and met Aerith's dispirited emerald eyes with his own sapphire orbs. She smiled, albeit slightly, as if attempting to cheer up the blond. Her attempts were futile, she found, when Cloud shifted his gaze towards the table.

"Enough of that," Aerith said as she finished setting the table. "It's dinnertime. We're going to at least _attempt_ to be happy, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cloud smirked, mock-saluting her. She returned the playful antics with a smile. Cloud was always willing to follow her lead, she noticed.

The sounds of eating utensils clinking against dinner plates suddenly filled the room. No one dared talk, instead choosing to focus their attention on eating the food that Aerith had prepared. The smell alone caused Leon's mouth to water. It was such a wonderful scent; it smelled better than his mother's cooking, when she was still alive. His father was a decent cook as well, when he didn't burn anything, that is.

"That was good," Leon remarked, leaning back in his chair. He always ate fast, despite taking slightly larger than normal portions. Perhaps he ate fast because he was always busy. There was always someone who needed his help, something that needed to be done. Despite the numerous calls for his assistance, he began turning them down once Yuffie disappeared. "They can wait," he reasoned with himself, "Yuffie is more important than a stranger I hardly know."

"I'm going for a walk," Cloud announced as he stood up, then proceeding to carry both his and Leon's empty plates to the kitchen's sink, putting them in carefully. "You coming, Leon?"

"Sure," Leon shrugged, leaving his chair so he could put on his old and beaten combat boots. He heard Cloud's quiet footsteps follow closely behind his own.

**---------**

Surprisingly enough, the rain had ceased by nightfall, and the roaring wind had calmed to a gentle, serene breeze. "How can anything be serene with Yuffie missing?" Leon wondered to himself, strolling down the streets with Cloud a few steps behind.

The moon had risen a few hours before, shining its pale light upon the world. It illuminated the land almost as well as the sun on a hot summer day. Yet, the moonlight seemed to be lacking something that the sun had. The moon's light was a mere reflection from the sun's, but what was it that could be lacking? The wonders of the universe never cease to amaze.

"So, what happened when I was gone?" Leon asked. His feet had led the pair to the Bailey, where Leon decided to lean against a crumbling brick wall, observing the wilderness that lied beyond Radiant Garden's borders.

"The Heartless attacked," Cloud stated, wondering if he should tell Leon about his encounter with the one-winged angel.

"Any casualties? Injured? Missing?" Leon asked, in his way of demanding more information.

"No casualties, besides a bunch of Heartless," Cloud smirked. "No one injured or missing, though. We got lucky."

"You did well, despite lacking both Yuffie and me," Leon smiled, feeling proud inside. It was well-known that Leon was most likely the strongest of the committee, but his absence proved the strength of his comrades.

"Thank you," Cloud said, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"Did anything else happen?"

"..." Cloud remained silent, a debate taking place within his mind. To tell, or not to tell? To condemn Yuffie to hell, or to release her from the fallen angel's chains?

"Cloud?" Leon asked, staring into the man's eyes. "What happened?"

"Sephiroth," Cloud said quietly, turning away from Leon.

"Sephiroth?" Leon echoed. "He's dead. Quit lying."

"Wish I was," Cloud replied.

"What happened?" Leon demanded as he walked towards the troubled wolf.

"The Heartless came. So did Sephiroth," Cloud spit out the name, animus in his voice. "He knows about Yuffie."

"And, you didn't tell me this before, why?" Leon asked, feeling himself getting angry but refusing to lose control.

Cloud chose to ignore the question. "Sephiroth took her. She's at his castle."

"Where's -"

"'In a castle, a castle of my creation, a castle of pure darkness,'" Cloud quoted Sephiroth's words.

"Pure darkness?" Leon wondered.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "Don't know where that is, though."

"...I think I know. Let's go tell the others, first," Leon said as he began to walk towards their home.

**---------**

"So, lemme git this straight," Cid said, rubbing his unshaven chin thoughtfully. "Sephiroth poofed back to life, took Yuffie to his castle, and is trying to kill us by making us go git her."

"Pretty much," Cloud nodded. "It's a trap, but we can't abandon Yuffie. It'd be like letting Aerith go emo."

Leon smirked at Cloud's joke, but the facial expression faded when he began to talk. "The castle is in pure darkness, according to Sephiroth. We're in a realm of light, right now."

"How ya figure that?" Cid asked, confused.

"Heartless are 'foreign' to us. The Heartless come from the shadows, the darkness. The opposite of that is light, so we live in a realm of light."

"How does that relate to finding Yuffie?" Aerith asked.

"Think about Twilight Town. It's on the edge of our maps, and we only discovered it recently. I don't think there's ever been a Heartless sighting there...only Nobodies," Leon explained. "Nobodies are twilight, which has no opposite. The darkness is opposite the light, and vice versa. Twilight has no opposite."

"Whatcha gettin' at?" Cid asked.

"...If you'd let him finish..." Cloud mumbled.

"If we go past the twilight, we'll go into the realm of darkness," Leon finally said. "Instead of the Heartless being the invaders, it'll be us doing the invading."

"I got it now," Cid said quietly. "Guess I better the ships ready..."

"Aerith, get ready to go. Bring some healing supplies," Leon ordered. "And, Cloud, you go to the Market and buy some Potions. We're going to need them."

"Understood," Cloud nodded, while Aerith chirped, "Alright!"

"Good. Thank you," Leon smiled softly. "Now to prepare for battle..."

**---------------**

Author's Note: Finally, I've begun to work on SH again. I'm expecting the next chapter to be a bit longer. Will Leon fall to Sephiroth's Masamune? Will Yuffie even be found? Does the castle even exist? Who will live and who will die? Feel free to leave a review.


	7. To Die Inside

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, although I do own the plot.

Warnings: Violence

Author's Note: Yay, the chapter everyone's been waiting for - the chapter where Squall/Leon meets with Yuffie again. Is this the last chapter? Read and find out!

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 7: To Die Inside**

When inside a Gummi Ship, the journey is unbelievably smooth, like driving a new car on pavement, still new but with few bumps. For the last few days, the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, with the exception of Yuffie, spent their lives in a moving Gummi Ship, heading towards their next destination. As for the exact location, it was relatively unknown. What Leon had figured out was the castle where Yuffie was imprisoned was beyond this realm of light. It was beyond the line of twilight, in which Twilight Town could be found. The twilight served as a boundary line between the two warring realms.

If Leon were not piloting the ship, he would be pacing back and forth across the floor, eyes focused on its shining silver color. Cloud, instead, was the one who paced relentlessly across the room, gaze on the cracks in the floor. His blue eyes with a scintilla of green around the pupils showed his anxiousness for the coming challenges. After all, an encounter with Sephiroth is never simple.

Unsurprisingly, Aerith's gentle emerald eyes held concern as they observed the blond's nervous movements. Cid noticed this as he chewed on his toothpick and snorted with a little smirk on his lips. The yet-to-bloom romance between Aerith and Cloud was as obvious as the color of the sky during a midafternoon summer day. Cid, if he so wished, could say the same about Leon and Yuffie. As for himself, well...let's just say that he already found the one whom he loved.

"Look!" Leon gasped in awe. The members of the committee rushed towards Leon as if they would die if they did not look upon the wonder with their own eyes.

"Think this is it?" Cloud wondered aloud, his eyes wide in wonder.

"Better be," Cid grunted.

"There's not a doubt in my heart that Yuffie is here," Aerith said gently, closing her eyes softly. "There's no light here, no stars shining in the sky. You can hardly see the castle; it's so dark."

"Nice speech," Cloud smirked, trying to fend off his nervousness and doubt. "Let's land this thing, Leon."

"You got it," Leon said, confirming Cloud's request. Slowly and carefully, he brought the Gummi Ship closer and closer to the castle, searching for an appropriate landing space. He resisted the urge to close his eyes in relief once he found the ship landed safe and sound on the world's surface.

"Let's move out," Leon ordered, taking his position of leader.

Cloud, who was second in command, said, "Get ready for this...we're in Sephiroth's lair."

And so, the group of four exited the safety of the Gummi Ship to venture into unknown territory. It was so dark that you could hardly see your own shadow. Neither the stars or the moon shined brilliantly overhead. It was dark and cold. The frigid air wrapped itself around the members of the committee, causing them to shiver.

"We should go inside," Cloud said through chattering teeth, referring to the castle of darkness that lied before them.

"Not so fast," Leon hastily said before pointing. "Look!"

The group focused their attention on a moving shadow in the darkness. It appeared to move closer and closer to them, with eyes that glowed golden. Cloud felt himself shiver, but this time, not from the cold, but rather the approaching figure. Leon, however, summoned the Gunblade to his side, holding it in a position so that he could attack in a moment's notice.

"Don't attack," the animated shadow said, the voice being eerily familiar to the ears of the group.

"Who are you?" Leon demanded, his muscles tensing up as the hair rose on the back of his neck. "Tell us."

"No need. You already know."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked. The response he received was cackling laughter.

Still laughing hysterically, the shadow retreated back into the safety of the darkness.

"Let's go in," Cid grunted, noticing the toothpick had fallen from his mouth. "Maybe we'll find it in there."

"Good idea," Aerith agreed, taking place behind Leon yet in front of Cloud. Cid was the last in the line.

* * *

Luckily, once inside the castle, there was light. It was from flickering candles, but it was better than nothing. The light, dull to most eyes, seemed blinding to the group after being in the darkness for so long. Much to Cloud's relief, the interior of the castle was much, much warmer than outside, although the decor was more than enough to send shivers down his spine.

The floor was made of gray slabs of stone; the walls were made from bricks, a dull shade of gray. Every door was somewhat modern, however, with brass knobs that stood out like a sore thumb. The rest of the doors, too, were a shade of gray. Surprisingly, the interior was mostly undecorated, save from the flickering candles in the candleholders. They were attached to the walls of the castle.

"Split up," Leon said, noting the size of the castle. "Cloud, Aerith, Cid...you go that way."

Leon motioned accordingly with a finger, pointing towards the direction of his choice. "I'll go the other way."

"You're not going alone!" Aerith gasped, mostly in shock of his courage.

"_He_ could be anywhere," Cloud added.

"So could _she_," Leon countered. "Trust me. I won't buy the farm that easily."

"Ya better not," Cid smirked. "Yer too young to die."

"So is Yuffie..." Leon said quietly, mostly to himself, before leaving the rest of his group behind. Much to his surprise, they ceased to follow him.

* * *

"Where to begin..." he wondered aloud, noting the amount of doors. It seemed as though there was an infinite amount of them in the immense castle. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he had already seen these doors, as the interior design of the castle would leave many wandering in circles for eternity, the uniformity of the grand building confusing them.

"This one," he thought, opening a random door by turning its brass knob. "Oh, Hyne."

Much to Leon's dismay, the doorway opened up to yet another hallway, decorated in the same manner as the rest of the gloomy castle. How would he ever be able to find his way out? What if he already saw these doors? The thoughts rampaged in his head, but he pushed them away with all his might as he entered the newly revealed hallway.

The cycle seemed to repeat itself over and over and over. Leon would open a door to find that it opened up to yet another hallway, each one appearing the same as the one before. Leon found himself becoming dizzy; it was beyond his mental mapmaking abilities to comprehend the complex design of the castle. The ability required him to spot specific "landmarks", marks in the halls and other places that appeared different.

Despite the warm air, Leon found himself suddenly shiver as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Suddenly, he had a terrible feeling in his gut, a feeling that told him that something horrible was about to happen. He felt the coolness of metal pressed against his neck, over a major artery. Instinctively, he grabbed the arm and yanked the metal away from the precious artery. Surprisingly, the person - or thing - holding the cool metal object remained standing.

Angered, Leon turned around and with gray eyes, glared at the offending person. The person was so familiar that it frightened him. The person had the same glowing golden eyes that the animus had, the one which had greeted them to this forsaken castle. He let his eyes wander lower than the face and the limp ebony hair, past the tight black t-shirt with stains of splattered blood across the shoulders, past the black half-finger gloves that went halfway up the forearms, past the baggy ebony cargo pants, and finally to the high-heeled boots with heels over 2 inches high. Yet, it was her face that disturbed him most.

"...Yuffie?" Leon gasped, his gray eyes widening in surprise. "Is...that you?"

"I'm not Yuffie, _Squallie,_" the dark-clad woman snarled. The use of the familiar nickname made it obvious to Leon that the person really was Yuffie.

"Quit playing around. We need to go. Sephiroth is-"

Without a moment of warning, Yuffie charged past Leon with unbelievable speed. At first, Leon thought that she hadn't hurt him. It took a few moments after the initial blow for the knife wound to open and splatter blood on the stone floor.

"Sephiroth is _what?_" Yuffie demanded, anger being the only emotion in her voice. "What about him?"

"Yuffie, what's wrong with you!" Leon shouted, ignoring the blood dripping down his face.

"What's wrong? You're _alive_, and that's what's wrong," Yuffie casually responded, as if it was a common thing to say.

Leon almost spoke again, but Yuffie cut him off. "Enough of this chit-chat. I've been assigned to kill you, by Sephiroth himself. I'd like to show him your head as a prize."

Leon, disturbed by this comment, swung his Gunblade to parry the corrupted ninja's attacks. Leon hoped that her thin katana would break; the katana had recently proven itself to be deadly if the wielder so desired it.

"Firaga!" Yuffie shrieked, unleashing a wave of black fire from her thin weapon. The spell had caught Leon off-guard. It was a well-known fact that Yuffie was downright horrible at magic of any kind. He found himself on the floor, gaze on the ceiling, which surprisingly was not gray. Instead, it was black, probably to hide Heartless.

"Come with us," Yuffie offered, suddenly entering his field of vision. He could feel her heels digging into his chest. As if on cue, the yellow glow of Heartless eyes appeared on the ceiling. Without warning, she swung her katana at Leon's face, effectively opening the scar that ran across his nose. The emotional and physical trauma was so great that Leon blacked out.

* * *

Before Leon even opened his eyes, he noticed that the air was damp and muggy, almost like a rainforest. In his leather apparel, he was coated in a thin layer of sweat. Sore, he opened his blue-gray eyes, his gaze dashing back and forth in an attempt to figure out his present location. It couldn't possibly be in the hallway where he blacked out. The air wasn't that muggy...was it?

A groan came from deep within his throat as he used his muscular arms to assist him in the act of sitting up. His muscles were sore, as if he'd been training for days and days without a break. When he looked at his arms, he noticed that the limbs were cut in several places, although the wounds were no longer bleeding.

"Cloud?" he shouted into the darkness. "Aerith? Cid? Yuffie?"

He received no response from any other the said people. Instead, the echoes from his voice rebounded towards him and bounced around the prison cell. Annoyed, he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the silver steel bars. He wrapped his hands around them in order to become closer to freedom. Although the cell was illuminated by the soft yellow light from a single candle, the hallway it was connected to was as dark as a moonless night.

"Damn," Leon cursed, frowning softly. Had Yuffie thrown him into the small cell for revenge? He had always treated her poorly, but surely she wouldn't take his actions to heart? No...she was too easy-going to do such a thing.

So, if Yuffie hadn't thrown him into the cell of her own free will, was she possessed by Sephiroth? Had the one-winged angel ensnared her in a trap, with fake promises of power and glory, including the prize of whomever she desired? It seemed to be something that Sephiroth would likely do. Was he using Yuffie to get closer to his main enemy, the blond haired Cloud Strife?

He shook his head to remove the thoughts, realizing that this was not the time to speculate. If he wanted any hope of saving Yuffie, then he would have to move fast - that required escaping the cell.

He began to pace around like a wild animal, his gaze always moving in hopes of finding something peculiar, any flaw to help him escape. How long did he pace? He lost track of time. For all he knew, he was in the cell for days already, and his friends were already killed. Pushing the thought aside, his eyes finally noticed a peculiar flaw in the cell's design.

Unlike the cells he had previously seen, the bars were not spaced evenly apart. Although he was not extremely thin, he realized that there was a slim possibility of slipping between the steel bars. Now set on this unoriginal idea, he began to mentally estimate the distance between each one of the bars, trying to determine which ones were the furthest apart. After several minutes of calculating, he sucked in his stomach and, sideways, slipped between two bars, nearly getting himself stuck in the process.

"...If I were only seventeen..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head at the bars sadly. When he was seventeen, he was as thin as almost everyone else, but that was before he dedicated himself to strengthening and building his muscles in order to use his Gunblade more effectively.

The hallways around the dungeon twisted and turned like a country road, the stone flooring cracked in numerous places despite being extremely clean, as if it was used a few times but not much after. Or perhaps it was just old.

Eventually, Leon encountered an intersection of hallways, and on a whim, he chose to take the right. He walked down the hallway for what seemed like miles before he noticed a curving staircase leading upwards. He interpreted the feeling in his gut as a good sign and dashed up the stairs, being careful of his feet's positions. After all, it would hurt his ego to fall backwards.

Upwards he ran, following the path that the red-carpeted stairs laid before him. As he dashed, the stained glass windows in the stone walls began to let in artificial light, illuminating the staircase in a vast array of colors. They threatened to hurt Leon's sensitive stormy gray eyes, but regardless, he followed the carpeted path heavenward, allowing nothing to stop his progress towards the sky.

"Do these steps go on forever?" Leon found himself thinking as his muscles began to burn. Despite their strength, he could only squeeze out so much energy from them. Just then, as if a god answered his prayers, he found himself at a large, iron door. Should it have been open, he would not have nearly run into it.

He took a moment to allow his body to recover from the exertion, and then as quiet as a mouse, he pressed his ear against the cold iron, wondering if the voices he heard where just a figment of his imagination. However, the volume of the masculine and feminine voices increased as he placed himself closer to the door. He recognized the one voice, the one belonging to a female. He would've identified it easier if it would have possessed its usual perkiness. However, the darkness allows no happiness in its minions.

Feeling confident that his body recovered as much as it was able, with slightly shaking hands he grasped the handles of the iron door, and with his muscular arms he opened it; the light from within momentarily blinded him. Despite the temporary blindness, he madly dashed inside, swinging wildly at Sephiroth with his Gunblade, ignoring Yuffie's cries of, "Master Sephiroth!"

However, his barrage of the Gunblade was brief, and he was thrown aside by the ebony aura that surrounded Sephiroth. Yuffie, meanwhile, glared at Leon with angry golden eyes. Leon struggled to get up, but he found himself unable to as Sephiroth wrapped a single black wing around Yuffie's small body. For a brief moment, Leon lost his stoic composure and allowed an expression of pure horror to slip, but he just as quickly wiped the expression from his face.

Suddenly, Yuffie and Sephiroth were nowhere to be seen. The only thing that remained of the silver-haired man were the ebony feathers from his single wing. His legs like Jello, Leon wandered over to the feathers and picked one up between his fingers, finding it surprisingly silky. His eyes dashed around wildly, desperately searching for a door, a teleport, anything to locate Yuffie's whereabouts.

It was then that Cloud and his friends arrived in the room. Whether they had been following Leon for a while or had simply came into the same area by coincidence was beyond understanding. Worried, Aerith gently walked over to Leon, carefully placing her soft hand on his shoulder.

"Leon?" asked Aerith, her eyes conveying her worry.

"She's gone..." Leon muttered, his legs finally giving away and allowing him to fall to the floor.

"You found her?" Cloud asked in disbelief.

"I did...but she's gone. Sephiroth took her," Leon's voice suddenly took on an angry tone, like a lion whose mate has been attacked.

"Where'd she go?" Cid grunted, chewing on his toothpick nervously, as though he could feel Sephiroth's aura.

"Don't know," Leon answered, its tone reverting back to its signature monotone. "I don't know."

"Look!" Cloud remarked, motioning towards an open sliding glass door. "Maybe they went through there?"

Leon stared at the door with disbelief clouding his heart, but then he said quietly, "No, not through there. They teleported out."

"Then, maybe it's the path that leads to Yuffie," Cloud reasoned.

"Yes," Aerith agreed. "Come on, Leon. You've come too far to give up now."

Leon didn't say anything, but instead he stood up from the ground suddenly, determinedly. This sudden burst of energy surprised Cid, whose toothpick fell to the floor.

Wordlessly, Leon began walking towards the door. Getting the hint, Cloud and Aerith followed, Leon's determination rubbing off on them. Cid stood behind for a moment, confused, then shook his head and followed his friends faithfully, even if he couldn't be of much help against the one-winged angel.

Surprisingly, the journey to the top of the stone castle was short, perhaps five minutes maximum. If the climate hadn't been so frigid against their bodies, the journey could have been cut by two minutes. The extra time was a blessing to Leon and his friends, for they all knew that a great battle is at hand. Perhaps the battle is destined to be brief, but no chances need to be taken.

As soon as they arrived at the summit of the castle, Leon's eyes immediately found the bodies of Yuffie and Sephiroth, despite the darkness. Yuffie was on her knees, arms spread as if giving herself to the fallen angel. Her golden eyes lacked the life that was so vibrant in them before. Sephiroth, however, raised his Masamune into the air, the tip of the long sword pointing at the intruders.

Leon took this as the preliminaries to the actual battle, and in turn, he summoned his Gunblade into his gloved hands and took a few steps closer to Sephiroth, slowly, determinedly. Cloud followed suit, while Aerith and Cid stood back, knowing that Sephiroth was well out of their league, farther than they could ever imagine.

And suddenly, without a word being spoken between the two groups, the hissing clash of swords sliced through the air. The harsh sound made Leon's ears ring, as it was he who made the first move against the fallen angel. The two began to dance, defending themselves against the other's attacks. No wounds were made in the early battle.

It was then that Aerith found the opportunity she was looking for. With a loud voice, uncharacteristic for her, she yelled loud enough for all to hear, "Stop!"

The magic instantly took effect, and Sephiroth was frozen, although one could see his body trembling. Although Aerith's spiritual powers, and therefore her ability in magic, were a force to be reckoned with, they could barely restrain the evil power of the darkness that Sephiroth clung to his heart - assuming he had one in the first place.

"Haste!" Cloud shouted, instantly increasing the speed at which he could move. He looked at Leon, who looked back at the blond, and they both nodded simultaneously. Leon summoned his most powerful attack, an attack coming from the depths of his heart where his most secret of emotions dwell. Cloud drew upon his love for Aerith for strength, and together, with one final attack, their swords sliced the dreaded Sephiroth into pieces. He did not even scream as he faded away into the darkness, with Cloud hoping that Sephiroth would be gone for, well, forever.

Feeling that the danger had passed, Cid bravely ran towards the young ninja. "Kid!?" he asked loudly.

Yuffie's eyes were closed, and her clothes reverted into their normal, clashing state. However, Yuffie was lacking a headband, and wounds and scars traveled up and down her arms like a labyrinth. Judging by her appearance, Yuffie was unchanged from the experience. However, the heart is a fickle thing and does not reveal things immediately.

Leon, carefully, scooped the ninja into his muscular arms. There were no tears in his eyes, contrasting against the waterfalls cascading down Aerith's pale cheeks. She was obviously recovering from the fear that Sephiroth arose in her. Cloud walked silently to the ninja and lion, and placing a hand on the side of her face, he said quietly, "She'll be fine."

"Didn't need ya to say that," Cid grunted. "She's always fine, that kid."

"Let's go," Aerith said to Leon, who nodded in response. An attack by the Heartless at that moment would be the worst timing in the history of their lives, even worse than when the Radiant Garden fell all those years ago.

Unknown to those around her, Yuffie opened her violet eyes slightly and glared fiercely at Leon. The glare was brief, and she closed her eyes once more, although her body was still tense.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm thinking this may have been _too_ long! I was tempted to break it into two parts, but then I realized it wouldn't flow as well then, so I decided to leave it as a six page, yes six page, chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter; hopefully it makes up for the briefness of the others!


	8. Laughing At Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters; I do however own the plot.

Warnings: None

Author's Note: So, in case you haven't finished reading that long previous chapter, Leon finally retrieves Yuffie from Sephiroth, who is presumed dead.

Summer Haze  
Chapter 8: Laughing At Me

After rescuing Yuffie, Leon and the others quickly escaped from the castle via their Gummi Ship. Luckily, they ran into no powerful Heartless as they fled, and the ride back home was actually somewhat boring. Yuffie, who was usually the most hyper person in the group, slept the entire time, apparently worn out after being used by Sephiroth. Aerith could not keep a small, gentle smile from her face at Yuffie's return, and Cloud wrapped his arm around her shoulders to show his appreciation. Cid kicked back and relaxed in one of the ship's bedrooms, while Leon piloted the ship, although he felt as though something was off. What seemed odd would remain a mystery, if only for a few days.

* * *

Her brown eyes (although they still held a hint of gold) fluttered open as she took in her surroundings carefully. Although she had not spent a great deal of time with Sephiroth, the fallen angel's training had impacted her even when she was no longer under his control. She feigned sleep when someone walked into the room to check on her, and then once again she opened her eyes when they left. There was no reason for her to confront them...no, not yet.

Yuffie stretched while still under the covers of the bed, noticing a familiar scent that belonged to Leon. Although she might have taken comfort from it before, she felt nothing when she observed it. Instead, she quickly removed the covers from her body and stood, just as quickly making the bed, a very odd task that she never did (at least, without being forced to by Aerith).

Although something within her yearned to see her friends, something else was afraid of how they would react to her. After all, she had ran away from home and fell into Sephiroth's clutches. She had even attacked Leon, her former friend and training partner! She was ashamed beyond belief to recall that she had, in fact, did these things, and especially to her own friends.

Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she would have to eventually see her friends again. There was no doubt in her mind that there would always be someone at home to watch her, awaiting her awakening. Until she proved to them that she was awake and alive, she would receive no quiet, no periods of being alone. The thought made her determined for some reason, and her muscles seemed to tense up as if preparing for a huge battle.

Carefully, she took a step forward, becoming aware of the slightly cold wooden flooring. When had that been installed, she wondered absent-mindedly. Realizing that her thoughts had begun to wander down their own paths, she took a deep breath to clear her mind of such things before taking another step forward. Everything she had done with Sephiroth required her full concentration, and that training was beginning to show up in the post-Sephiroth era of her life.

She found herself at the door, with her small hand stretched around the doorknob. Wary, she twisted it, noticing how her wrist and the muscles in her arm moved accordingly. The door was opened almost immediately, and she took a step into the hallway. She looked to the left and then to the right, like a child crossing the street at a busy intersection. Again, the action was repeated before she took a left, the direction that would take her to the kitchen and living room area of the small house.

She stopped suddenly, the echoes of multiple voices bouncing off the walls like hyper children and into her ears. She could identify each one of them without effort, having known them for most (if not all) of her short life: Squall "Leon" Leonhart, Aerith Gainsborough, Cloud Strife, and Cid Highwind. Unaware of rather to classify them as enemies or allies (as her mind was still feeling the effects of Sephiroth's immense power), she took careful steps forward, into the dining room area, which was sandwiched between the kitchen and the living room.

A gasp reached her ears as the conversation between the members of the household halted. With a voice that showed her surprise, Aerith exclaimed, "Yuffie! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Fine, fine," Yuffie replied, although she did not smile. She also noticed that her voice was different, not deeper or higher than it had been, but rather lacking the enthusiasm that it once clung to. She compared her voice to Leon's deeper one, as they both seemed to be rather monotone and lacking emotions. Apparently, Leon heard the change as well, as one perfectly-shaped eyebrow raised as he sipped his bitter coffee.

"Glad to have ya back, kid," Cid acknowledged with a nod of his head. "Least you're feeling fine."

"Thanks, old man," Yuffie teased, using her usual nickname for the older person. He seemed to be acting happier than normal, as if some of the essence of Yuffie's being had slipped into his bitter, bitter coffee. It was more bitter than even Leon dared to drink.

"Yuffie," Cloud smiled, not knowing what else to say. After all, she was fine (according to her words) and seemed to be in a good mood. What else was there to say? That he was sorry for not stopping Sephiroth sooner? It did not matter now that the fallen angel was presumed dead, hopefully for a long, long time.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Aerith offered. "I saved some in case you woke up."

"That's nice," although Yuffie truly meant her words in the most positive manner, the monotone of her voice made her seem as though she did not care. Realizing this, Yuffie hastily added, "Sorry, Aerith. My voice hasn't been used much lately, you know? I'll take some breakfast, though. I'm starved!"

Although he no longer had one eyebrow raised, Leon's stormy blue eyes observed Yuffie carefully, as did his ears when it came to her voice. Yes, it lacked nearly as many emotions as his own. He clenched his jaw for an unknown reason, hoping that the real reason for her voice being monotone was lack of use. No, he did not just hope, he prayed to whatever gods and goddesses he could think of.

Smiling softly, Aerith went about taking the breakfast out of the refrigerator and, after making sure everything was perfect, she put it into the microwave. Yuffie smiled even more softly, the movement of her lips hardly noticeable, making her seem stoic. She took a seat next to Cloud at the table, which she had previously classified as the "Non Old Fart Section."

Without warning, Cloud's hand descended and ruffled her already messy, black hair. This action, showing Cloud's happiness without really showing it, made Yuffie's smile visible to her friends. The smile was contagious, and the virus infected Cloud as well. Seeing everyone in a good mood allowed the virus to spread to even Leon, Cid, and Aerith, as the latter placed down the plate of warm food in front of the young ninja.

"Bon appetite," Aerith joked with a horrible French accent. Yuffie mumbled something about Aerith being crazy before beginning to eat. Leon, once again, raised his eyebrows at Yuffie's neat method of eating. She had always been messy no matter what she did before, but now the almost sophisticated manner puzzled him. Had Sephiroth influenced her to be a neater person, as well as to turn to the darkness for reasons unknown? It was a question he knew he would have to ask someday, yet he was dreading the moment. Unknown to him, Yuffie was dreading the question even more - how could she possibly explain her crush on Leon, right to the said man's face?

* * *

Leon had decided to take a walk to the outskirts of town, to the wilderness that surrounded it. Yuffie seemed so much different than before, and there was no doubt in his mind that Sephiroth was to blame. Yuffie was always full of sunshine and enthusiasm, and her voice had once reflected that. But now, it lacked what made Yuffie...well, Yuffie. And then came her improved manner of eating. Even she admitted she was not a neat person when it came to eating, and now she ate as sophisticated as the older members of the household. Had she simply matured while she was gone, or was something else at play?

The third matter that bothered him was her new attitude, for lack of a better word. The formerly hyperactive ninja seemed now to be sulking and indifferent to the world, no longer spreading sunshine wherever she decided to go. Rather, she seemed to just blend in to the people around her, no longer running about like a child. The change was so sudden to him, after having seeing her act so hyper for the last Hyne-Knows-How-Many years of their lives.

On a different note, Leon was wearing different clothes from his usual. He wore a tight, white t-shirt which clung to every muscle. His black sweatpants were a bit looser, but the strings were tied to keep the sweatpants securely around his waist. He wore plain, black running shoes, which hinted at what he was planning on doing. He had decided that while having muscles was, well, wonderful when it came to fighting Heartless, who knows when he would need to have endurance? Granted, he could run for a long time, but not before slowing to a crawl after the first few miles. It was high time he began to prepare himself for another adventure, especially if Sephiroth came back and again used Yuffie.

He began to stretch, his mind still focused on the ninja. He warmed up nearly every muscle in his body, even the ones which one would think would not be needed to running. After his through warm-up, he finally began to run. His brown hair kept falling into his face as he progressed at a moderate pace, but he always quickly put it back again, seemingly unbothered by the annoyance of his hair. After a few miles, his feet began to feel as though over two thousand pounds of iron were tied to them. He pushed himself a bit harder, running two more miles before finally allowing himself a rest.

His course had been a giant loop in the wilderness of Radiant Garden, with him ending exactly where he started. If he had simply run five miles in one direction, he would have been in for a long, torturous walk home. Using his cleverness for something other than fighting or annoying Cloud (although in a playful manner), he had run in a complete circle. Think about it made him feel as though he wasted a large chunk of his life running in circles like some sort of hyper child, but he reminded himself that it was for his sake and that of his friends.

Slightly red in the face, Leon began the short walk home. Only a short distance from the outskirts of the town, he felt a small rock hit the back of his head. Hiding his annoyance, he turned around, already knowing the culprit. "Yuffie," he said sternly, acknowledging her presence.

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders with a barely noticeable grin on her face. "Squallie," she mimicked with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Leon inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

"I could ask you the same," Yuffie replied, the smirk still on her face.

"Running, improving my endurance," Leon answered simply. "Your turn."

"Going for a walk," was her just as simple reply.

"Going home now?" Leon asked.

"If you'll walk with me," Yuffie responded, biting her tongue as she realized exactly what she had said.

She had joined Sephiroth for power, the power to get Leon to like her. Now, she felt, becoming an ally of the fallen angel was one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made in her short life. She wondered if Leon thought even more poorly of her now that she had shown her desire for him, although she wondered if he had ever noticed to begin with.

"Why not?" Leon shrugged, wiping a bead of sweat off his damp forehead. It was a good thing it was not summer...

The walk back home was agonizing, at least to Yuffie. It was not as though she regretted asking Leon to walk with her. She just dreaded the questioning that she was certain would come at any minute. Why did she join Sephiroth? That was one question Leon would ask. And truth be told, it was the last question she ever wanted to hear. She hoped that he would not have the nerve to ask her, at least not so soon after her return.

The questioning proved to be inevitable.

"If you don't mind me asking," Leon started, looking ahead of him, "Why did you join Sephiroth?"

Yuffie's mental reply was: I don't want to answer that, not yet! Instead she replied, "I don't know."

Leon asked another question. "How can you not know?"

"I don't know," Yuffie replied again, evading the questions with some success.

"Just...don't do it again," Leon said, looking at her eyes. "We were worried."

Worried? Yuffie asked herself mentally. Of course, they were her friends, were they not? Surely they would have shown some concern over her disappearance. Yet, the short sentence coming from Leon was a surprise to her. What shocked her more than Leon expressing their worry was that Leon used the word, "we." Was he including himself in the sentence, implying that he too was worried?

The grammatical dissection of the short sentence caused her head to hurt. After a short pause, she said without a frown or a smile, "I won't."

* * *

It was raining, absolutely pouring, on Radiant Garden. The raindrops threw themselves against the windows so hard that Yuffie could have sworn that someone was shooting at their house with machine guns. The wind blew ominously, tossing around trash as though it were as light as pebbles. Even more ominous was the lightening and thunder. While the lightening seemed to split the dark sky in two with a great flash of white, the thunder crackled loudly over the town.

There was no doubt that even small children were crying.

Although Yuffie was no longer a small child, she was curled up in bed. During her absence, they had replaced her and Leon's double bed with two single ones, feeling as though Yuffie was uncomfortable sleeping with the older man. Of course Yuffie felt awkward; she had a crush on the guy!

She had not cried in...she could not remember how long it was since a salty tear ran down her face. She had no reason for tears at the moment, seeing as the sky was crying enough for the entire population of Radiant Garden. However, she curled herself into a tight ball, making her look like a threatened porcupine. In a way, she did feel threatened. There was no doubt that more questions were going to be thrown at her direction soon. If she answered truthfully, would they abandon her for being as weak and foolish as she was?

Sephiroth, the fallen angel, had opened her eyes. She saw the world for what it truly was rather than a world full of hope and optimism. The world was a bleak, disgusting place with humans slowly but surely destroying the planet. The world was a place where war was common, if only to provide entertainment to those involved. Oh, yes, the world was disturbed, so very disturbed.

Meanwhile, she heard the laughing of her friends (if she could call them that) out in the living room. She felt the muscles in her arms tense, as though preparing to hit someone or something. Although she had no rational basis for her beliefs, it was _her_ who was being laughed at, or so she thought. Being laughed at made her angry, almost into a different person. It was a trick that Sephiroth cruelly used to make her more vulnerable to the darkness - after all, anger could cloud one's mind, making them more susceptible to the darkness.

Without knowing that she was doing it, she snarled at the offending creatures. Had Sephiroth really affected her that deeply? It appeared as though he did. He had nurtured the anger within her soul, made it grow into something that could hardly be contained, thus making her a danger to herself and those around her. It was anger that had caused her to lash out at Leon in the castle. It was anger that she felt when Sephiroth had been attacked. It was the only emotion she was truly familiar with. Long forgotten were the feelings of happiness and optimism, and forgotten even before those was love.

What a pitiful creature she had become. The name "Yuffie" no longer described her.

Quietly, to prevent her bed from squeaking, she arose and walked carefully to the door, using her honed ninja skills to aid her. She turned the doorknob with just as much caution, hoping that it would not squeak like her bed sometimes did. Luckily for her, it remained silent, and she slipped into the hallway. Instead of turning to the left, towards the light and her friends, she turned to the left where the darkness of the night awaited her.

While at the door, she hastily tied up her boots and exited the house, all the while being as quiet as a mouse. Once in the storm, she ran as fast as she could to the Gummi Ship Garage, ducking when she came across one of the house's windows. Once away from the house by a few blocks, she somehow managed to sprint even faster, and the Gummi Ship Garage was in front of her before she knew it. Recalling that it would be locked, she used a hairpin to allow herself entrance to the building.

She found herself seated in the Gummi Ship, and before long, she had left Radiant Garden behind her.

* * *

Her ebony hair was longer now, falling down past her shoulders. It was taken care of very well, almost as shiny as a new quarter on the sidewalk on a summer day. At some point over the course of three years, her formerly tanned skin had dulled significantly, leaving her extremely pale. Her eyes still held the sadness that she felt all those years ago, when she had left Radiant Garden.

Yes, it was Yuffie standing on the sidewalk corner in Traverse Town, awaiting another customer.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm hoping that the slight plot twist surprised you. This chapter was, like, awesome to write. Not so awesome to proofread. Then again, is proofreading ever fun? Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and feel free to leave a review!


	9. The Beast and the Harlot

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, but I do own the plot.

Warnings: Prostitution, language

Author's Note: Just so you aren't totally lost, this chapter takes place three years after the previous one. Obviously, everyone has changed in some way, Yuffie changing the most. Hope everyone enjoys! (Also, cookies for you if you can figure out the reference in the chapter title. Hint: It's a song, who sings it?)

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 9: The Beast and the Harlot**

Even after all those years, Traverse Town was still cloaked by darkness. The sun's light had yet to shine on the world. Despite the eternal night, the town remained safe from Heartless and Nobodies. It was ironic, actually. In a place so far away from the light, not even creatures from the darkness dwelled there.

Although most of the town's inhabitants had long since returned to their original worlds, a few of the original pioneers had remained, having chose Traverse Town as their new home and thus remaining there. Aside from those people, a few of the town's original residents were still alive and thriving.

Leon had once argued with Yuffie whether or not people had lived in Traverse Town before. No one officially one the argument. However, Traverse Town had been around for an unknown amount of years before other worlds were being destroyed by the darkness. There had always been people there, and the original humans had built the famous brick buildings and neon lights that people adored.

In the last three or four years, the town had veered to the dark side of the human soul. Drugs were discovered and distributed daily, and prostitutes competed with each other for the most profit. Numerous dirty dancing and strip clubs had popped up as the city became morally shrouded in darkness. It had changed from those years which seemed so far away. It was no longer a place to take a child; it was no longer safe to take a walk. You could be mugged, raped, killed...the list goes on.

A group of three prostitutes stood by the town's outer wall. Two of them were standing, smoking cigarettes, while the other was leaning against the wall, looking at the ground in disgust. One of the prostitutes flicked her cigarette and said, "Honey, cheer up. It's the only way you're going to get some cash."

"You've been living this life for three years, and yet you're still miserable? Look, hon, there's a hot customer walking towards us. Maybe he wants you?" the other one added.

The third one, the one leaning on the wall, sighed. She folded her arms over her nearly exposed chest. She didn't feel like being someone's bitch again, but what other choice did she have? She had no where to go other than the bedrooms of strangers. She had no home, not anymore.

"So, who wants some?" the man announced, smiling devilishly at the trio. "Don't be shy, now."

The two standing prostitutes glanced at the other one. One of the standing prostitutes walked seductively towards the man, taking a hand and rubbing his chest with a naughty look in her eye. "Wanna go for a 'sundae?' I like nuts and whipped cream on mine."

The man did not even blush, but without a word, he wrapped an arm around the prostitute's shoulders and nearly dragged her to wherever he wished to go. The remaining standing prostitute pouted. "Damn, and he was hot. My sister always gets the hot guys."

"Too bad they're all looks," the leaning one replied. The dim light from the nearby café barely reached her ebony hair, making parts of it scintillate.

"Not so," the other one disagreed. "They have lots of cash, too."

The black haired one dryly laughed. "I suppose."

"See you around, hon. Hope you get some customers tonight, Yuffie," the prostitute said, dropping her cigarette to the stone ground and walking away seductively, looking for someone to spend the night with.

"Hope I don't," the black haired one said quietly to herself. She really didn't like her profession, honestly. She didn't like sleeping with strangers. Yet, she continued to do so. She would purposely hunt the streets for a customer, despite her lack of desire. The whole situation was rather odd, to be honest. But, we all have to do things we don't like.

She stood there for a few moments longer before pushing herself off the stone wall, walking away from the café. She felt her smooth, thin legs rub against the denim of her miniskirt (although it was so short, it could hardly be called anything but underwear). Her black tube top squeezed her chest and exposed her shoulders and a small part of her stomach to the cold evening air.

Her high heeled black boots hurt her feet and legs as she endlessly walked, desperate for a customer. She would not spend a night sleeping on the streets. Deep inside her heart, she believed that she deserved no comforting warmth of a bed.

Her ears were now cold, as well. She could feel the metal piercing growing colder as the air did. Absent-mindedly, she used a long black fingernail to poke at them gently. As she did so, the air around her grew even more frigid, causing her to tremble.

She wasn't going to have a bed tonight.

* * *

It hardly rained in Traverse Town. For the last three years that she had resided here, it had rained thrice. There was one big rain storm every year. At least she had no worries of being caught in the rain...after all, this year's storm had already come and gone. The remaining days may be windy, warm, or chilly, but it will never rain nor snow.

She had managed to rent a hotel room in the middle of the night. The employee had looked at her in a perverted manner as he handed her the keys, smacking her rear end as she walked by. She resisted to whirl around and glare at him. It would scare him off, should he be a potential customer. So, holding back the glare that had as much power as Leon's, she went into the shabby room and collapsed on the bed before falling into a dreamless slumber.

She awoke in the morning with a headache. The ceiling light made her head dizzy; she had forgotten to turn it off before going to bed. She threw an arm over her eyes as she made her way to the lightswitch, turning off the annoying bright lightbulb. She lazily walked to the messy bathroom, ignoring the short hairs littering the floor. Again, she left the lights off.

She reached out towards the shower's knobs and twisted them, adjusting them to a cool temperature so she wouldn't be burned upon stepping in. She effortlessly removed her clothes, an action that had become a routine over the last few years. It wasn't even a minute before she was standing in the nude and holding a forearm under the water, testing its temperature.

Satisfied so far, she stepped into the running water and shut the curtain behind her. She bent over at the hips slightly so she could adjust the temperature from cool to pleasantly warm. She noted that there were cheap, little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, along with a small bar of soap, all neatly wrapped and sitting on the shower's shelf. She hastily removed the paper and used the contents of the bottles and bar accordingly. Surprisingly enough, she found that she liked the scent of the hair care products. They didn't smell as cheap as they looked.

She was in the shower for only fifteen minutes. In a few more minutes, she was dressed and had her hair combed. Again, it was routine. She needed to visit as many customers as she could during the nighttime, so that she could make more money which would be used to upkeep her body. Since Traverse Town was always shrouded in the darkness, prostitution was not limited to only the nighttime hours. She could go to work right now, if she really wanted to.

Although she didn't like the idea of working so early in the morning, deciding that she had nothing better to do, she left the hotel room behind her and searched for her next client.

* * *

She had fallen into this vicious cycle, much against her will. She disliked prostitution as much as she hated being labeled a harlot. She lived only to serve males, and occasionally other females. She had gone astray of the path that Aerith, Leon, Cid and Cloud had pushed her down so many years ago. They wanted her to be strong in mind and body, educated. They wanted her to protect herself and her loved ones but to also be a loving, caring mother.

Where had she gone astray?

It was the first time in three years that she had pondered the subject. She was sitting in one of the café's chairs, awaiting the arrival of a willing male or female. She stared at the table with brown eyes (though they still had specks of golden), deep in thought.

She hadn't been the perfect child when she was younger, but who was? Who possibly could live up to the expectations of their parents, unless they were an orphan or their parents had no standards? She had gotten in trouble here and there, but it was never serious. She had never stolen (well, never been caught). She simply trained to protect her loved ones, especially after the Heartless invasion.

They had barely escaped the world alive, she remembered. Over three quarters of the population were mercilessly slaughtered - she could tell when only a quarter of the population returned to Radiant Garden. She had been frightened, scared, nearly to the point of wetting herself. She was scared of dying at such a young age.

As she grew older, she grew bolder. She found herself no longer afraid of the Heartless, but angry. She trained with Leon so that they could both improve their abilities, and together they had fought side-by-side against the horrible creatures of their nightmares. They both had their fair share of scars to prove the numerous battles they lived through.

She grew too bold, she guessed. Cocky, perhaps? Or perhaps in dire need of something? She no longer remembered the reason why she fell victim to the fallen angel, Sephiroth. She only remembered that he trained her harder than Leon had, worked to make her emotionless. She was conditioned to be a cold-blooded killer.

Fate had intervened, she determined. Leon and the others had come to her rescue and saved her. But the shame was so great that she left Radiant Garden, and her friends, behind her forever. She was certain that they had looked for her at first, but their search had long since been put on hold. She was unable to be found, now. She couldn't be more sure of herself.

She raised her chocolate eyes from the table's surface and raised an eyebrow as she noticed a young man. The light from the buildings hardly illuminated his face or hair or anything else, but Yuffie guessed that she would recognize him after they got done in bed. After all, that's how it always was.

She pushed herself from the table and strutted over to him, shaking her hips seductively. With an innocent smile, she asked, "Do you want some of this?"

As she spoke, she went through her routine of placing her legs further apart, making her short denim miniskirt rise even higher on her thighs. She still ceased to recognize the man.

"No, thanks," he replied. Yuffie could tell that the man was blushing.

"You sure?" Yuffie questioned, her hands caressing her hips in an effort to seduce him. "You look lonely. A few bucks will get you some fun."

"I said no," he repeated, ignoring the prostitute. "I'm looking for someone."

"Your cat is over here," Yuffie replied, trying to talk dirty to get some money.

"Get lost," he said, accentuating the words.

"Your loss, honey," she shrugged, walking away.

The man stood there, dumbfounded that the harlot had given up so easily. Some of them in the other districts were nearly hanging off him, begging him to stay and have some fun. He rubbed the scar on the bridge of his nose with his leather gloves, trying to shake off the sense that something was familiar about the prostitute.

Curiously, Leon turned around and asked, "What's your name?"

But the mysterious harlot had already disappeared.

* * *

"Go figure," Leon muttered to himself, sitting in the familiar café. He sipped from a cup of black coffee, the bitter taste of it bringing him to a sense of alertness. The night was quiet, apart from the quiet pleas of prostitutes begging for customers.

He felt his chair rumble, and curiously he looked into the sky. "A Gummi Ship?"

Not just anyone could travel between worlds. "Yuffie."

* * *

"Gotta get out of here," Yuffie muttered to herself, trembling. It wasn't cold in her Gummi Ship. She was surprised that it was still able to start up after three years of non-use.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that the man was Leon. As soon as she got close to him, she could smell the familiar scent of the cologne he wore. Even after all those years, Leon had never changed the smelly thing. After noticing the smell, she noticed the scar that lied between his eyes, over the bridge of his nose. She knew only one person in the world with that scar in the same exact place, and that person was Leon. No one in Traverse Town had that scar.

Speaking of Traverse Town, Yuffie came to realize that there were no new arrivals or departures, other than babies being born and elderly people dying. There were no people from other worlds there, save for herself. She knew that it was difficult to travel in space in a Gummi Ship, and only the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee knew how.

She was shocked when she realized she must have slept with nearly every man in Traverse Town. The thought sickened her. But, here was an opportunity to leave that part of her life behind. She could find a new world, leaving the land of harlots behind her for good. She would no longer sell herself for money. She would find a job, have a family...just like Leon and the others had wanted her to do in the first place.

All of the shame that she felt years ago suddenly came rushing back to her. She was almost tempted to turn around, find Leon, and plead for his forgiveness. But, her sins would never be forgiven. It wasn't worth the effort, anyway.

* * *

Author's Note: There you go, chapter nine! For the record, there is only three chapters left. Yes, that's right, I said three. I can't believe it's coming to an end already...I'm having so much fun writing this!


	10. Different Worlds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, but I do own my original plot.**

**Warnings: None**

**Author's Note: Believe it or not, I've had this chapter finished for a few weeks, but I wanted to have a double update. If you think this chapter is too short, you should see the next one. It's a bit longer.  
**

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 10: Different Worlds**

The rumbling of the chair had alerted him to a Gummi Ship's departure from the world of dark desires. Leon had sat dumbfounded for a moment, looking stupidly at the spectacle in the sky above. It took him a minute to realize who the pilot could be. The only people skilled enough to control the ship safely were those of the Restoration Committee. Save for Yuffie and Leon, the other members were safe at home and not planning a trip anytime soon. Leon wasn't flying either, so it left only one logical possibility - Yuffie Kisaragi, who he begun to believe was the prostitute who had tried to seduce him.

Leon had also landed his old Gummi Ship outside of the town's official borders, marked by high stone walls. It was the only place to land, really. You couldn't just land in the middle of a town square, crushing an unknown amount of people to death. There was no garage for the ships, either...leaving only the wilderness available.

He hurriedly left his seat behind him as he sprinted to his old but usable Gummi Ship. It sat just as he had left it, perpendicular to the wall with the front end pointed away from the town. It was an ideal position should he suddenly have to leave...just like the current situation demanded. He entered the ship and sat in his special chair, sloppily attaching his seatbelt and raring to go. It was not long before the engine fired up, and he was leaving the ground below him. Unfortunately for the town's outer walls, a few stones were scorched black.

The town was shrinking behind him, growing ever smaller until it was unable to be seen, like a fading distant star. The ship ahead of him, however, remained a constant distance from his own, never allowing him to catch up or fall behind. It was like a game of cat and mouse, but played in space instead of the comforting ground. The stars were moving by them so fast that they seemed to be but streaks of pure white.

Leon itched to fire his lasers at Yuffie's obnoxiously yellow ship. He would be unable to save her should he cause critical damage to it. She would die because of his stupid, immature urges for violence. There was a part of him that would not allow such an act to ever occur, despite the circumstances. But, what would he do if she suddenly fell behind him and fired mercilessly? Would she try such a devious act?

The questions made him queasy, a feeling that he did not experience often. Would she try to kill him, or would he be forced to make the first move? Or, would no battle take place between the two great warriors of Radiant Garden? The answers were unpredictable by everyone, even by the gods themselves.

Suddenly, Leon noticed that there was nothing in front of him, except for the streaking white stars. The obnoxiously yellow ship had disappeared; how could he not see it? It was so bright that it made the sun seem pale in comparison. Suddenly, he found his center of gravity misplaced for a moment, and the indicators on his dashboard confirmed that he had just been fired upon.

His fears had come true, and now a fight was to occur...possibly to the death. Leon, in turn, dropped back and managed to hit Yuffie's ship a few times with his lasers. He aimed carefully as to not cause serious damage. Yuffie, however, seemed desperate, firing random shots at just as random places. Was she seriously trying to kill him, or was she trying to tell him to turn around and leave her be?

No, he could not just leave her. The three year separation had been painful for him. The sorrow had affected him more than the others. He had nearly ended his life because of the despair. He convinced himself not to make such a stupid decision, holding on to the childishly optimistic belief that he would find Yuffie again.

And though he eventually stopped his search, he still clung to the hope that she was alive and happy. An urge had told him to search Traverse Town for the former ninja's presense, and Lady Luck smiled upon him. She had finally been discovered again, albeit now much changed. She no longer carried herself with the optimism of a child. She seemed more tired than a person of her years should be.

She was no longer Yuffie.

The battle grew more intense, with each side dodging and firing in synchronization. Lasers were shooting every which way, tearing across the starry sky. If one could see the spectacle from below, it would appear to be nothing more than a mysterious show of bright and flashing lights. The observers would be oblivious that two people were struggling above them, with death as a very real and frightening possibility.

Leon took his right hand off of the ship's steering device for only a few seconds. The fierceness of the conflict caused him to become nervous and sweating. After his leather glove brushed off the beads of the salty liquid, the drops rolled off his glove and some fell to the floor below. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He was tired.

In those few seconds, before his hand could return to the steering device, he felt himself falling and rising and spinning. Though frightened by the attack, he opened his stormy gray eyes and managed to bring the ship back into his control. His vision scanned the space around him, noting the damage indicators on the dashboard. He could hear and feel steam from the ship's inner workings.

Then, he shifted his eyes so he could look at the space outside of his ship. There was nothing but stars as far as his eyes could see. They surrounded him, and he felt oddly claustrophobic. It was a miracle that he caught a glimpse of a yellow ship. It was so bright that it was obnoxious, and it left no doubt in his mind to whom the pilot could be.

He urged his ship to accelerate, but the damage prevented any record high speeds. Luckily, though, it appeared that Yuffie's ship had taken enough laser fire to keep her from escaping efficiently. All he had to do was follow her, wherever she chose to led him. He was like a puppy following a cruel person. Despite the abuse and the attacks, he followed blindly, never learning his lesson.

They seemed to progress forward in this fashion for hours. Leon occasionally drifted in and out of slumber. The ship ahead of him never accelerated or slowed down. It hardly moved at all. He thought the slow pursuit would never end when he spotted a world, hardly noticeable in the wide expanse of space. It was mostly a deep shade of blue, which he assumed to be oceans. The rest of the planet was covered in fields of green and occasionally brown, also known as forests and deserts. At the top and bottom of the planet were two large plains of white ice caps.

It seemed as though Yuffie was heading towards this planet, as though she were drawn to it. The mindless chase continued on, neither one speeding up or slowing down. Regardless, the planet gradually grew larger and larger until he felt himself accelerating. The gravity of the planet was pulling him in...which also meant that Yuffie was being forced into the planet's atmosphere as well. Surely, if they were on the same world with these damaged ships, it wouldn't take long to find her. After all, she would be unable to fly away again...but so would he. They would be trapped there, but it didn't matter. There was no longer any escape from the planet's clutches.

The landing occurred so unexpectedly that Leon hit his head off the dashboard. He vaguely recalled images of Yuffie's obnoxious ship flying to the left while he was forced to the right. Shaking, he exited his ship and walked around it, observing it. Nearly every Gummi Block was rendered useless from the impact with the earth. He was certain that Yuffie's ship was just as bad, and it was then that he realized he was in no hurry to find her. She would find him, or perhaps he would discover her. The world couldn't be too big, could it?

He left his ruined ship behind him, his feet carrying him towards the sound of a distant noise. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before; the sound of so many fast-moving objects was foreign to him. He wandered the area without a real purpose, without any rush. He was shocked when he came across a black road with double yellow stripes slicing it in half. A car the same color as Yuffie's ship slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder of the road. It came to a halt in front of Leon. Curiously, he approached the foreign object.

The pane of glass disappeared into the car and a gruff voice spoke from inside, "Where do you want to go, kid?"

The dialogue vaguely reminded him of Cid, but Leon opened the door (albeit with some difficulty) and sat in the comfortable seat. He had no idea where he wanted to go, for he had no idea where Yuffie was. He barely registered the words coming from his mouth, "To a hotel, please."

He felt his head fly backward as the driver slammed his foot on the gas pedal. It would be a long ride, indeed...

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuffie had also inspected her ship and had abandoned it, although with much more cursing than Leon. And unlike the busy atmosphere that Leon was in, the area where Yuffie sojourned was calm and almost natural, if the huts on the horizon were never built. The sun was just beginning to rise from the far east. The sky was a mixture of soft, morning colors.

As there is no better time than the present, Yuffie began her long trek up north, towards the cheap, man-made shelters. The vibe of the area was pleasant to her soul; she felt no urge to hurry, which was her most common feeling on both Radiant Garden and Traverse Town. She now had a place to relax, not to call her own, but to relax. After all, she hadn't died yet, had she? So, obviously, the air wasn't poisonous - or at least not terribly so. In fact, it felt cleaner than Radiant Garden's cough-inspiring air. She liked this new place.

Apparently, her ability at judging distance was much worse than she believed. The huts, which were now becoming bigger, were still a long ways away from her ship. So, she continued to walk. Her stomach began to growl with hunger. She continued to walk. Her feet were cut and bleeding. She continued to walk. Pain attacked her body in agonizing waves. And she _continued to walk_.

She arrived at the shelters just felt as though she would faint. People with tan skin, nearly the same darkness as her own, swarmed around her. She heard an older man shout to the group in a commanding voice, in a language taught to her long ago by her own father, "Get her water!"

* * *

Author's Note: So, just to recap, Yuffie is in an Asian country (in my notes, she's in China), and Leon is on the outskirts of a city (which is based on NYC, if not NYC itself.)


	11. Flashback

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, although I do own the plot.**

**Warnings: Somewhat graphic imagery, a pleasant surprise**

**Author's Note: I feel like I'm behind on updating. I'm just trying to enjoy the story before it ends...we are getting close, after all. This chapter, unfortunately, is somewhat cliche. It's also the penultimate chapter...that's right, the next chapter is the last! I seriously love this story to death...But I'll save that huge paragraph for the next chapter.**

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 11: Flashback**

"Anyone know where I can find a plane?" Yuffie asked the villagers. However, she wasn't speaking in English. In fact, she was speaking in the language her father had taught her long ago, after she realized that the people here had little to no knowledge of the confusing language that is English. Why bother trying to communicate when you know it won't work? So, hoping her memory was far better than what her friends said about it, she began speaking another language, her father's native tongue.

To her surprise, the people knew the language that was never used on the world of Radiant Garden. She soon heard the villagers whisper to each other at her feat of mastering not one, but two languages, something uncommon in the rural village. An old man, older than the oldest she had ever seen, hobbled up to her. One of his legs was injured long, long ago and had never healed properly.

"A plane? Like the ones that fly over our heads?" the old man questioned. Yuffie nodded in response.

"Be warned, young one. Those planes are _demons_. They destroyed life, many, many moons ago, back when creatures of metal sailed across the ocean to our fair land. I do not want you in any danger, young maiden."

Yuffie blushed at the compliment. "You underestimate me. I'll be fine. I _need_ on a plane."

The old man smiled at Yuffie's enthusiasm. "I see you have unknown urges that tell you to embark on a journey to find those horrible metal birds. Head up north, towards the Great Mountain, and you will find many people. They will know where the metal birds come from. They are much more sagely than any of us."

"Thank you," Yuffie bowed. "I better get going."

"Wait!" a young woman, a bit older than Yuffie, shouted. "Take this."

Yuffie took the bundle of food in her hands, smiling as she replied, "Thank you."

"May the gods smile upon you!" the old man smiled as Yuffie turned and walked away.

* * *

Her journey was relatively painless. She kept a good pace, pausing to eat at around midday and after sunset. She conserved her food as she didn't know how far away the city was. But, soon enough, the mountain soon loomed over her like a gigantic monster. Sounds of city life echoed in her ears. It was so foreign and vaguely familiar - it sounded just like Radiant Garden, before Heartless claimed it as their own.

Some people looked at her strangely, but others accepted her as soon as they laid eyes upon her. Of course, that's how things work in the city. Some are skeptical; some are accepting. Some assumed she was homeless; others believed her to be from a rural village. She no longer wore the clothes of her former profession. The day before she left, she reverted back to her usual outfit, although it seemed to have shrunk. Perhaps she had just grown.

She took a breath before tapping a man on the shoulder, mentally preparing the question she was about to ask. He turned to look at her, chocolate eyes watching her intently, suspiciously. "What?" he grunted.

"How do I get to the airport from here?" Yuffie asked, biting her lip afterward. As the man gave her directions, she memorized them so that she would not get lost. After the brown eyed man had ceased to speak, Yuffie thanked him for his kindness and headed off towards the direction of the airport.

'I don't know how much longer I can run,' Yuffie thought, tired. '_He_ always finds me, no matter where I go!'

She kicked a pebble in frustration, apologizing after it hit a little old lady with a face that expressed hatred. She walked on for what she believed to be a lifetime until she found herself at the airport's entrance.

* * *

Leon was beyond frustrated. He had worked hard to get into the airport. He had even resorted to begging other people for money, which was very unlike him. Luckily, he managed to get a hold of enough of the foreign currency to afford an airplane ride to Japan. He didn't know what the country was like or even exactly where it was, but he knew Yuffie had fallen to the west. Japan was in the west, wasn't it? At least, that was his logic. Then again, who said that the maps were completely accurate?

He was sitting in his seat on the airplane, right next to a wide window. There was no one sitting next to him. Once again, he was all by himself in a strange world. It was almost like the time he had arrived in Traverse Town. And the destruction of Radiant Garden.

_At the time, not one person in the public knew what was going on or why. The oldest claimed it was the god's wrath turned upon them, for all of their sins and lies and wars and murders. The youngest had no opinion, and they huddled beside their parents, quivering with nothing else other than absolute fear. Evil creatures, Heartless, arose from the shadows and the darkness, in the alleyways and in closets. They were arising from anywhere that the light could not, or did not, touch. They were crawling all over the city, the valley, the Bastion, and even the great and mighty castle. Of course, no one even wondered about their leader - in this sort of situation, it was every man, woman, and child for themselves. It was brutal._

_The invasion occurred at the most peculiar time, midday. It was just after noon, and businessmen and teenagers hurried to restaurants and fast food joints for a quick lunch either by themselves, friends, or coworkers. Mothers all over the world prepared a nice little meal for their children, caring smiles on their faces. Buildings were being constructed on the outskirts, but the construction was momentarily halted as the builders sat on metal beams and snacked on sandwiches made by their significant other. Aerith was relaxing in the park, Yuffie beside her as they huddled over a magazine intended for girls. Yuffie, of course, was too young back then to understand the words and pictures, but she just wanted to fit in. Cloud sat beside them, sighing softly and trying to ignore the giggles from his two companions._

_Leon was different...he was Squall, an awkward teenager with his first girlfriend. His hair was cut somewhat short, but his bangs were long and were tucked behind his pierced ears. He relaxed on his parent's expensive, plush furniture, with his first and only girlfriend. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her nearer and nearer to him, never wanting to release her from this position. His head laid on her shoulder, and she smiled softly in bliss. She had never expected the relationship to deepen this much...everyone told her that the teenager was too cold, too heartless, for anyone to touch his soul. She had proven them all wrong by befriending the outcast._

_Squall grinned as he said, "So, what now? There's nothing on..."_

_"Nothing?" Rinoa asked, playing with her ebony hair. "500 channels and nothing to watch? You sure are spoiled."_

_"Am not," Squall protested. "You just aren't spoiled enough."_

_"No, you don't spoil me at all," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes._

_"Told you," Squall smirked, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Let's go get lunch. Sushi?"_

_"Sure. At least _you_ remember my favorites," Rinoa said with glee, remembering her numerous exboyfriends._

_And so, the young couple left the house, Squall locking the door by habit. He took her hand in his own and squeezed slightly. She giggled and squeezed back. Squall smiled, finally content with his life. He didn't know how quickly it would all end..._

_"Squall! Rinoa! How are you two?" Aerith asked, noticing the pair walk by. Squall and Rinoa walked towards the trio. Cloud nodded at Squall in acknowledgment of his presence, and even the lion could sense the distress that the magazine was causing him._

_"Good," the couple said at the same time, as though it was a habit. In truth, it was, as Squall refused to answer for the both of them. He didn't want to feel Rinoa's wrath when he accidentally answered a question about her opinion incorrectly._

_"That's great," Aerith smiled, not even the slightest bit of envy in her heart. She would love to date Cloud, to be as close to him as Squall was to Rinoa. But she would wait, and should things not work out, she would find someone else. But she was absolutely certain that Cloud would be the one. "Are you two heading to lunch?"_

_"Yep!" Rinoa chirped. "He's taking me to that sushi place."_

_"And even though it's her favorite restaurant, she doesn't even know it's name," Squall chuckled, and Cloud smiled in response._

_"Oh, can I come? Please?" the little Yuffie begged, her lower lip jutted out in order to make her seem cuter. The (in)famous Yuffie Pout wouldn't work on Squall, but she was aware of Rinoa's weakness to it. Sure enough, Rinoa smiled and said, "Only if Squall allows it."_

_Suddenly aware that it was his decision and that he could be facing the horrible wrath of an angry Rinoa should she be in a horrible mood, Squall hesitantly agreed. But he figured it would be rude not to invite the other two, so he made the offer, "We could all go together."_

_"That's a wonderful idea, Squall," Aerith replied. "Are you coming, Cloud?"_

_"Why not?" the said teenager replied with a shrug. "As long as loverboy and girl don't make out on the table, I'm fine with it."_

_"Hey," Squall warned, "We don't do that."_

_"Much," Cloud smirked. Squall decided to drop the topic._

_And so, the group of five headed towards the restaurant whose name is never remembered. It was peaceful, to say the least. It was paradise in Radiant Garden, until a few moments later. Screams of terror suddenly echoed to their ears, and monsters as black as the night emerged from the shadows. Yuffie screamed as a child she had known ran towards them, only to be brutally killed by the beast. Old men were shouting prayers to the sky, which had suddenly grown dark. A feeling of doom hung over the city like a haze._

_Like an answer to unspoken prayers, a man in his thirties swung open the wooden door to his garage. His hair was as blond as Cloud's but was definitely not as spikey. His voice and accent boomed, "Guys, get in here right now!"_

_The building seemed to be miles and miles away from them, but the group of five dashed towards it. They stayed huddled together, believing in "strength in numbers." If they stayed together, the monsters couldn't slay them...right?_

_Squall squeezed Rinoa's hand in his own, genuinely afraid for her safety. Screw his own; her's was the most important to him! He urged her forwards, towards the center of the group, but suddenly he found his hand empty. He stopped running and whirled around, his blue eyes widening. The sight before him was to be ingrained in his memory, in his nightmares, for several years to come, until he could block it out like he did with all of those other horrible memories._

_She lay on the ground, her t-shirt partly torn off her. Her throat was ripped open, and an unbelievable amount of crimson blood gushed from it. The monsters climbed on top of her, slicing through her chest with their dark claws. Red liquid emerged from her body like inverted rain. She was so smothered in darkness that he could only see part of her face. Her eyes were dull and emotionless. At least she wouldn't live to feel the pain of losing her most beloved._

_"Rinoa!" Leon gasped, a metamorphosis suddenly complete. He took a step towards her, to come to her rescue despite knowing it would be futile. Cloud had run back to Leon and, with a strong hand grasping his arm, pulled the grieving lion from a similar fate. As soon as they made it safely into the building, Cid slammed the door shut._

_"You okay, kid?" Cid asked, hand on Leon's shoulder. Cloud released his grasp and looked away, as did the others, including Yuffie._

_  
"Squall?" Cloud said the name with a voice that slightly wavered, as he was afraid of the lion going insane._

_"It's not Squall," Leon stated, his voice now cold and lifeless like Rinoa's corpse. "The name's Leon."_

_He raised his head and looked into the eyes of his peers with his own steely gray orbs. Unknown to him, Yuffie shivered under the coldness that his gaze provoked._

_"Alright, alright...on the ship, now!" Cid ordered, trying to get everyone to safety. With everyone heading towards the ship, if they weren't already onboard, Cid pressed a button that opened the garage's roof. The button was formerly unused, as he built Gummi Ships for fun and not for escaping disaster. _

_As the ship left Radiant Garden below, a heaviness sunk into the hearts of everyone on the ship. They had all lost something dear._

Aerith lost her mother. They would never again arrange flowers together and sell them to make people happy. They would no longer tend to the garden and grow vegetables to see who could grow them the best. They would never again exchange recipes for meals or clean the house together. She would never see the face of her mother again.

_Cloud lost his father. He hadn't been too close to the guy, but he still respected him. They dueled with swords and practiced witty comebacks on each other. They tried to make a living together from their meager paychecks. They had built buildings together, buildings that were now demolished in the chaos. Nothing remained of their relationship._

_Yuffie lost her father as well. He had wanted her to become a ninja until he found out that they were no longer needed in society. But Yuffie was set on the idea of becoming one anyway, and she wanted to become the best. The Great Ninja Yuffie, he would call her. In his eyes, she was the greatest one of all. He would never see his daughter blossom and find a caring husband and raise a family. He would never have grandchildren._

_Cid lost his wife in the chaos. Though they didn't always agree, they shared a bond that could never be broken. They lived together, slept together, ate together. They enjoyed the company. She supported his wild ideas for space exploration and Gummi Ship building. She was always behind him one hundred percent._

_And Leon...Leon lost everything._

* * *

Leon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his gray eyes staring out the window as the ground became closer. Before he knew it, he was out of the airport and was with 10,000 yen and a 90-day visa. Once again, he was trying to blend in with an unfamiliar crowd and culture, and all was foreign to him. The sheer amount of people in the city was enough to make him slightly anxious. Leon had never been a fan of crowds, anyway. Too many people and possible enemies, he reasoned.

He was wandering about the outskirts of the large city, where fewer people roamed and some stray animals could be seen mingling with them. There were some houses, some cardboard boxes, some homeless people, orphaned children. But, all in all, it was nowhere near as corrupt as Traverse Town.

It was strange, really. The worlds were restored how long ago, and Traverse Town still found a reason to exist. It was merely a refuge for those who lost their homes and families, and it had few to none natural inhabitants. And yet, after people started to leave to embark on a quest to reunite with friends and families, after Sora's triumphant victory over the darkness, there were those who refused to leave. Had they grown accustomed to the shadows, or was there something more? At any rate, what had possessed Yuffie to retreat to that disgusting world that was once so pure and innocent? The more he thought about it, the more he realized: Yuffie was just like that dirty old town.

She was innocent, pure, and childish to some degree. She was cunning and always laughing. The town was upbeat, just like her. And then, she ran away from home. She retreated to the shadows once more, just like the town. Together, they walked the same road, a path of pain and vile acts. Leon wondered what she had experienced during that time.

And, absorbed in his dirty thoughts about her countless eternal nights with other men, it was at that moment that Leon's and Yuffie's paths crossed. The former teenager, now considered a woman and a legal adult, fell to the ground. Dazed, she sat there for a moment, before muttering with a pout in her mother language, "Ouch. That hurt."

It was her voice, that voice he longed to hear so much, that freed him from his thoughts. His gaze focused downwards as his stormy blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Yuffie?" he gasped in disbelief. After so long, so many days, _it was her_. She was _here_, in front of _him_, right before his very eyes.

"Leon!" she exclaimed, although it wasn't in glee. She kept her brown and golden eyes focused on the ground. Nervously, she bit her lip and fought the urge to run away. But if she could and would, where would she go? She would be stuck on this planet, doomed to flee from him until one of them died. She would never see her friends again...

"It's been a long, long time," Leon said in a gentle voice that was so uncharacteristic of him. He offered her his gloved hand, extending his arm so that she could grab it easily. He didn't expect her to take the offer. Cautiously, like a wounded animal beginning to trust again, she extended hers out as well. Thanks to his strong muscles, she was standing up again in no time.

"It's been too long," Leon continued. Although she was standing perfectly fine, he still held her hand within his. He gazed into her eyes, searching their depths for something unable to be spoken. She squirmed under the intense stare.

"We all looked for you, Yuffie. Aerith, Cloud, Cid...even me. We were worried about you, especially after the Sephiroth incident."

He noted how those last three words brought pain into her eyes. No wonder she had left...they wouldn't leave her alone about it. At least, that's what he believed that she thought.

"And then, I finally found you," he said slowly, his eyes showing faint traces of emotions. "But you ran from me -"

"Because you would never love me!" Yuffie shouted, ripping her hand from his. The dots of golden in her eyes only seemed to make her anger more frightening. "It was always _Rinoa_."

"That's in the past," Leon countered, animus yet having to manipulate his heart. "She's dead. I'll never be happy about it. But that doesn't mean there isn't someone else for me."

"That 'someone else' would just be a replacement," Yuffie argued, fists clenched. "You wouldn't ever give your heart to someone."

"I beg to differ," Leon said softly. Before she was aware of it, his hands were on her waist and was pulling her towards his warm, muscular body. After three years of experience and still unsure of what to do, she placed her small hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. But, they weren't open. They were shut, and she couldn't comprehend why. His neck bent downward, and his soft, pink lips moved ever closer to her own. And finally, they touched.

Finally, they broke apart for air. Leon took the opportunity to say, "I always loved you, too. I just didn't realize it until you were taken away from me."

Yuffie could do nothing but blush at his words and the laugh that came shortly afterwards. "You're cute like that. Come on, let's go find your ship. We're going home."

* * *

Author's Note: I hope that was an "Awwww!" moment for all you readers. This chapter took me forever to write, because I wanted it to be perfect. Next chapter is the last, although it is more like an epilogue, so don't expect it to be this long. Oh, and I have plans for **another** LeonxYuffie. So if you like SH, keep an eye on me. Its name is "Disturbed" and should be on the website before the end of July.


	12. Church on Sunday

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, although I do own my plot.**

**Warnings: None**

**Author's Note: Here we go, the last chapter...I'd like to thank everyone who read from beginning to end, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, it's official: I **_**am**_** starting a new LeonxYuffie fic, and it **_**will**_** be out by the end of the month. If you like SH, then you should like the new fic, "Disturbed." More about that at the end of the chapter-that's-more-like-an-epilogue.**

**Summer Haze  
Chapter 12: Church on Sunday**

"Just how far did you walk, anyway?" Leon complained uncharacteristically. He exhaled in frustration.

"Not much farther," Yuffie shrugged.

Leon reminded her, "That's what you said _miles_ ago."

"It's not like this is Radiant Garden, you know," Yuffie reminded him. "I don't know exactly where everything is. I can barely do that with my own room!"

"You won't have to anymore," Leon told her. "We'll be sharing a room."

"But, what will Aerith -"

"It doesn't matter what other people think, as long as I love you and you love me," Squall insisted. "You call _me_ insecure."

Yuffie pouted, but the facial expression instantly dissolved when Leon slung a muscular arm around her shoulders. The two continued to walk in a synchronous manner, the silence comforting. After many, many minutes of this, Leon began to notice something in the distance. He ignored the faraway blob, believing that it was just his imagination making a fool of him. However, he proved to be wrong when Yuffie suddenly blurted out, "There it is! My ship!"

She suddenly sprinted towards it, leaving Leon's arm wrapped around empty air for a moment. He followed suit after her, smirking as he quickly pulled ahead. He slowed his pace to allow her to catch up. Just as they had when they walked, they continued moving forward in harmony, with each other. It was almost as if an ancient dance was being performed by the two of them. However, it came to an abrupt halt when Yuffie ran face-first into the ship, causing Leon to chuckle.

"Let's see if I can fix it..." Leon said, already inspecting it for repairable damage. Its wings were a bit beat up, as well as everything else, but other than that, it was still in flyable condition. Leon announced his findings, to which Yuffie replied, "And what would you have done if it wasn't?"

"I'd be pissed," he said simply with a smirk on his face. "We'd be stuck here, because my ship is totaled."

"Geez, someone can't fly!" Yuffie giggled, but she shrieked when Leon began to tickle her. "That's enough! Stop!!"

After a few more seconds of relentless torture, Leon obeyed Yuffie's barely understandable commands. Without another word, he pried open the ship's door with his hands and motioned for the ninja to enter. She struggled with closing the entryway, but she managed to seal it by the time the ship was ready to go. Obediently, she sat the seat next to Leon and fastened her seatbelt, silently praying that the ship would last until they were safe and sound on the ground on Radiant Garden's soil.

She squinted her brown and golden eyes as they left the earth behind them. This was one of the two parts of flying that she absolutely hated - the take-off and the landing. Luckily, the landing wouldn't be for some time. Now that she gave it some more thought, how would Leon know how to get home? She voiced her concerns, and Leon quickly told her, "I'll backtrack. I took note of the planets when we landed. We go this way, past the world with the ice rings, and we'll be home in a few days."

"_If_ we don't explode."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Leon asked her, looking at the spectacle with amusement in his blue eyes.

"Cutting my hair," she replied, although it was a bit muffled with the comb in her mouth.

"Don't you need some help?"

"Shouldn't you be piloting?" she countered, focused on her task. Leon took the remark with good humor.

"I suppose I should."

* * *

"You look tired," Yuffie stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am," Squall confirmed, blinking quickly to wet his drying eyes.

"Let me pilot," she insisted.

"...Alright."

She was surprised it had been that easy. But as always, her privileges had strings attached.

"Just wake me up when we get to the Garden."

"Okie-dokie, Leon."

* * *

His sleep was filled with dreams, which was highly unusual for him. Should he ever have one, they turned out to be nightmares. But no, not this one. It wasn't scary, wasn't depressing. It brought the emotion of joy to his heart. Within it, Leon and Yuffie sat side-by-side in the middle of a field of colorful flowers. They covered an entire spectrum: reds, whites, yellows, blues, pinks, purples. They all blended together to form a unique color all their own.

From his fantasy of the flowers he was awoken when Yuffie yelled out to him, "There it is!"

Unable to decide whether the voice belonged to make-believe or reality, he tried to move his body. As he did so, the image of vibrant plants and him with Yuffie shattered like broken glass. He was blinded for a moment, but then he opened his blue eyes. The ceiling overhead stared right back at him. He shook his head to remove the fantasies from his head and to bring him back to the real word. Yuffie yelled again, "Hurry up, Leon!"

"Coming!" he hollered as politely as possible as he stumbled into the pilot's cabin. Yuffie hastily removed herself from the seat, now Leon's. She returned to her old one, fastening her seatbelt in preparation of the landing. As she did previously, she clenched her eyes shut tightly, waiting for that horrible feeling in her stomach to subside. As the ship landed, she could hear a thud. She already knew that Cid would be called upon to take the ship to the garage, or at least to disassemble it so she could make a new one.

"Open your eyes," Leon ordered. She did so and found herself gazing into Leon's blue eyes...Wait, blue!?

"Leon," she gasped.

"What is it? Are you alright?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Your eyes...they're blue!" she exclaimed, excited. She removed her seatbelt and bounced over to him, giving him the biggest hug the human race has ever known.

Finally, it ended as all things will eventually. Yuffie looked into the blue eyes once more before turning to the task of opening the door. Leon gently pushed her out of the way, using his own method to leave - he kicked it down. Yuffie laughed nervously before exiting, following Leon. The town's outskirts suddenly became extremely close, and Leon took that moment to grab her hand. She was his, now. No one else was to have her.

Together, they easily reached the hideout. Leon turned the doorknob cautiously, preparing to be bombarded with hugs from Aerith and pats on the back from Cid. Yuffie, however, stood a foot and a half behind Leon, her gaze focused on the ground in shame. How, after all these years, could she go back and not worry about what her friends would think of her? Would they be able to see her the same after learning about what she did for money?

She bit her lip as Leon opened the door, but surprisingly, Aerith didn't attack them with hugs. Leon motioned for her to follow. They entered the house together, Yuffie's heart beating wildly with anxiety. It quickly left her as she started giggling at the sight in front of them: Aerith and Cloud together, snuggling on the couch!

Aerith heard the strange, feminine giggling and opened her eyes. Cloud mouthed to Leon, "Run!"

But her target was not the lion, but rather the ninja that accompanied him. Almost instantly, Yuffie was engulfed in the older woman's arms. After hearing Aerith's sobs of joy, Yuffie couldn't hold her own back. She was home, finally home. She would not be judged for what she did, but rather welcomed back with open arms. Everything would go on just as it had before. But, now, Aerith and Cloud were officially together, as was Leon and Yuffie.

"Aerith, I think you're choking her," Leon said, sweatdropping.

"Oh! Sorry," the brown-haired woman apologized, smiling nervously. She watched as Leon wrapped a possessive arm around Yuffie, then she said, "I can't believe it. She's back...you got her back, Leon."

"It's not Leon," he corrected, his blue eyes twinkling. "The name's Squall."

Yuffie soon left Squall's side to chat with Aerith about random things. Both were happy to see each other. It was then that Cloud stood up and put a hand on Squall's shoulder and looked into his eyes. There, he could see nothing short of happiness, pure happiness.

"Have you found your light?" Cloud asked, his lips a smile.

"Yeah," Leon nodded, turning around to gaze out the window and into the wild, sapphire sky.

* * *

**Author's Note: There we go; it's done. I can't believe it's finished, but I think it turned out very well. I'm very pleased with the outcome. I might go back and touch up the older chapters, make them past tense to fit the rest of the chapters, but that's about it. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed and read this story. I think I wouldn't have finished it otherwise without your support.**

**My plans for my next work? It will be another LeonxYuffie, set in a somewhat alternate universe. It spans across Leon's teenage years and into his adulthood, following his life after Radiant Garden's destruction and his struggles with coming to terms with his feelings for the Great Ninja Yuffie. Leon also happens to be a vampire, if any of you are into those kinds of stories.**

**Like I've said, keep an eye out for it, because it should be out by the end of July. The title: "Disturbed." LeonxYuffie fans should definitely like it, as it's angsty romance. Besides, Leon practically screams "angst," but I digress.**

**Once again, thanks for all the support! FlamingDranzer**


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